Dhanush (howitzer)

Indian 155 mm howitzer

Dhanush

The Dhanush in public display.

Type| Howitzer
Place of origin| India
Service history
In service| 2019 - present
Used by| Indian Army
Wars| India-Pakistan Conflict 2025
Production history
Designer| Ordnance Factory Board
Designed| 2010 - 2013
Manufacturer| Advanced Weapons and Equipment India Limited (previously Ordnance Factory Board)
Unit cost| ₹14 crore (US$1.7 million)[1]
Produced| 2014 - present
No. built| >36[2] (excl. 12 prototypes)[3]
Specifications
Mass|

* 13 tonnes (13 long tons; 14 short tons)(L/45)
* <14 tonnes (14 long tons; 15 short tons) (L/52)

Barrel length|

* 6.98 metres (22.9 feet) L/45
* 8.06 metres (26.4 feet) L/52 (Upgraded)[4]

Crew| 6-8

* * *

Caliber| 155 mm (NATO ammunition compatible)
Action| Auto gun alignment and positioning
Breech| Screw type
Recoil| Electro-rheological/Magneto-rheological
Elevation| Servo based, -3°/+70°
Traverse| Servo based, 30° left or right from centreline[5]
Rate of fire|

* Burst: 3 rounds in 15 sec

* Intense: 15 rounds in 3 min
* Sustained: 60 rounds in 60 min

Maximum firing range|

* 38 km[6][7](L/45)[8]

* 42 km (L/52)[8]
* >60 km (for Ramjet Propelled Artillery Shell, being developed)[9]

Feed system| Electrically operated ammunition handling
Sights| Thermal sight Gunners display

Dhanush (lit. 'Bow') is a 155 mm towed, long-range,[3] medium[11] howitzer manufactured by Advanced Weapons and Equipment India at Gun Carriage Factory Jabalpur, previously a part of the Ordnance Factory Board (OFB).[12][13] The gun was approved for series production in 2019 and has been inducted into the Indian Army.[14] The Dhanush project was started by OFB to replace the older 105 mm Indian Field Gun, 105 mm Light Field Gun and the Russian 122 mm guns with a modern 155 mm artillery gun.

## Development

[edit]

The initial indigenous development of artillery guns in India started in the 1970s with the Artillery Gun Development Team under Brigadier Gurdyal Singh at Gun Carriage Factory, Jabalpur.[15] This resulted in the introduction of 105 mm Indian Field Gun and its variant, the Light Field Gun into the Indian Army.

The purchase of Haubits FH77 guns manufactured by Bofors in the 1980s included technology transfer to Ordnance Factory Board (OFB). After many years being unable to acquire or import foreign artillery guns due to the corruption charges, OFB developed the Dhanush gun based on the technical data package, a 12,000 page document, that was delivered parallelly with the FH77. Improvements and modernisation of the original construction included lengthening the gun barrel from 39 calibres to 45, inertial navigation-based sighting system, auto-laying facility, onboard ballistic computation and an advanced day and night direct firing system.[12][16][3]

An order, worth ₹1,260 crore (equivalent to ₹21 billion or US$250 million in 2023), was placed with OFB around 2013 for 114 guns and 300 more planned. The guns were to be manufactured by Gun Carriage Factory Jabalpur. The gun cost was at ₹14 crore (equivalent to ₹22 crore or US$2.6 million in 2023) apiece with 80% indigenous content. Very few components like APU, electronic dial sights and a few other small items are imported.[12][13]

From 6 to 30 June 2014, the gun underwent its final summer trials at Pokhran Field Firing Range. This was after the successful winter trials in Sikkim at an altitude of 3,500 metres (11,500 ft) at sub-zero temperatures. Dhanush outperformed the Bofors gun by 20 to 25 percent in parameters like range, accuracy, consistency, low and high angle of fire, and shoot-and-scoot ability. There had been a pause in trials due to a barrel burst incident in August 2013 but was later investigation reported an issue with "old ammunition with air bubbles" and no problem was found in barrel design or metallurgy.[12] So far, around 2,000 rounds were successfully fired from the gun and the Army asked for six howitzers.[16]

Three Dhanush guns were handed over to the Indian Army for user trials in July 2016.[16] Battery trials, with six guns that were delivered, began in April 2017 with "another round" scheduled in June. The trials were expected to be completed by July 2017 with 18 guns entering service in 2017, 36 guns in 2018, and 60 guns in 2019, for an Indian Army order of 114 guns. Each regiment has 18 guns.[11]

The Dhanush experienced a few problem during trials, failing on three occasions in a row in 2017.[17] It was reported in July 2017 that the howitzer failed the last phase of testing, due to the shell hitting the muzzle brake. A redesign of the barrel by widening it was being considered to solve the issue.[18] Later an investigation revealed the incident happened due to a defective shell. Further trials were conducted by firing about 5000 shells in the desert regions and icy glaciers of the Himalayas without any incident.[19] In June 2018, Dhanush completed final development trials. As part of the trials, all the six guns – which formed a battery – fired 50 shells each between 2 and 6 June. Additionally, 12 prototypes were built in total, which fired 4,200 rounds during development.[3] On 18 February 2019, the gun officially received bulk production clearance (BPC) from the Ministry of Defence (MoD).[20][14] As of November 2019, the first regiment was to be raised by March 2020.[14]

### Manufacturing

[edit]

The first batch of 6 guns were officially inducted by the Army on 8 April 2019.[14] 93 Field Regiment, first unit to be armed with this gun, had the honour to participate in the 71st Republic Day Parade and Army Day parade in 2020 with its new equipment.[21]

A manufacturing disruption had occurred later due to the untimely procurement of a spare part needed for a sub-assembly. The production of Dhanush has restarted following a pause due to the shortage of the spare part. In FY2023–2024, Advance Weapons and Equipment India Limited (AWEIL) intends to deliver the Indian Army with further 26 units of the gun. With this, the Army will have total 50 Dhanush howitzers. Accidents such as barrel bursts and muzzle brake strikes had marred the early years of manufacturing. At that point, the Ordnance Factory Board (OFB) was in charge of the Gun Carriage Factory in Jabalpur. New terms and conditions were signed with the new entity AWEIL following the corporatization. According to the revised terms, the delivery is proceeding as planned.[13]

Initially, the order was scheduled to be executed by 2022,[14] which was then shifted to March 2026.[22][23]

Between March 2024 and June 2025, the second regiment was raised by the Indian Army.[24][2]

As of June 2025, the third regiment is being raised and few units of the unit has been delivered as well. It was also not expected that the delivery of the guns would be completed as per schedule, which is 2026.[2]

### Ammunition

[edit]

#### Ramjet-Propelled Artillery Shell

[edit]

This section is an excerpt from Munitions India § Ramjet-Propelled Artillery Shell.[edit]

As of February 2020, IIT Madras, in partnership with IIT Kanpur, Armament Research and Development Establishment (ARDE) and Research Centre Imarat (RCI), is working on redesigning an existing 155 mm shell using ramjet propulsion that can cover 60 km+ range. It will be made compatible with Haubits FH77, Dhanush, K9 Vajra-T and DRDO ATAGS. The shell will incorporate a Precision Guidance Kit for trajectory correction. IIT Madras will ensure that Munitions India can manufacture the shells. Prototype is expected to be developed within three to four years, as the design is ready. As pf then, many technologies have already and further facilities for lab and prototype testing would be required, like an advanced wind tunnel.[25]

#### Smart Artillery Shell

[edit]

This section is an excerpt from Munitions India § 155 mm Smart Artillery Shell.[edit]

Reports emerged in February 2024 that Munitions India Limited, along with Indian Institute of Technology Madras is developing the first 155 mm Smart Ammunition for the Indian Army Regiment of Artillery. The developmental time is about 2 years. The goal of this partnership is to improve artillery shell accuracy and lethality at the time of terminal impact. The munitions can be launched from 155 mm 39- and 45-calibre guns including Dhanush, DRDO ATAGS and K9 Vajra. The shells will can achieve a Circular Error Probability (CEP) of 10 m (33 ft) against the current conventional ammunitions 500 m (1,600 ft) CEP, a 50 times improvement. This will require housing of cutting-edge technologies such as miniature electronics and sensors with guidance, navigation, and control systems. The 155 mm Smart Ammunition shells will primarily utilize NavIC satellite guidance to increase accuracy and have a GPS-back up option. In order to meet different tactical needs, the 155 mm Smart Ammunition is made to work with current artillery guns and has sophisticated characteristics including fin stabilization, canard control, and a three-mode fuse operation.[26] A minimum range of 8 km and a maximum range of 38 km are anticipated. In addition, this Smart shell has three different explosion modes: delayed, height of burst, and point detonation.[27][28][29][30]

## Variants

[edit]

* Towed variant (Original 45-calibre)
* Towed 52-calibre: AWEIL upgraded the gun system into 155mm 52-calibre which can now fire up to 42 kilometres (26 mi). Dhanush weighs less than 14,000 kilograms (31,000 lb). The newly upgraded gun has double baffle muzzle brake and retractable barrel and has a unified sighting system for day and night warfare against static and moving targets. The gun barrel has a length of 8,060 mm (317 in) and a weight of 2,790 kg (6,150 lb) and an elevation range of -3°/+70°. It has three modes of rate of fire: burst rate (three rounds in 30 seconds), intense rate (12 rounds in three minutes) and sustained rate (42 rounds for one hour). The upgraded Dhanush successfully completed the internal testing phase.[31][13] The gun system is likely to participate in the Towed Gun System tender for induction into the Indian Army.[32]
* Dhanush Mounted Gun System PrototypeSelf propelled/MGS[33]: A vehicle mounted variant of the gun called Mounted Gun System was showcased by OFB at the Defexpo 2018 show. The gun is mounted on a 8x8 Tatra truck manufactured under license by Bharat Earth Movers Limited (BEML) and has a 30 kilometres per hour (19 mph) cross country speed and 80 kilometres per hour (50 mph) road speed.[34]

## Operators

[edit]

India

*  Indian Army: Over 36 delivered of 114 units ordered.[13][2] Second regiment raised with third regiment being raised as of June 2025.[2] All units were originally scheduled to be delivered by March 2026.[22][23][35]
* 93 Field Regiment[21] (along Line of Actual Control)[36]

## See also

[edit]

* Advanced Towed Artillery Gun System
* Haubits FH77
* Bharat-52

## References

[edit]

1. ^ Press Trust of India (8 September 2015). "Indian Army to induct indigenous artillery gun Dhanush, first since the Bofors scandal". ibnlive.com. Archived from the original on 11 September 2015. Retrieved 5 June 2023.
2. ^ a b c d e Singh, Mayank (20 June 2025). "Raising of Dhanush 3rd regiment begins". The New Indian Express. Retrieved 20 June 2025.
3. ^ a b c d "Dhanush artillery gun clears final test, ready for induction: Official". The Economic Times. Press Trust of India. 8 June 2018. Archived from the original on 10 June 2018.
4. ^ Kajal, Kapil (21 December 2022). "India outlines 155 mm/52 calibre towed gun programme". Janes. Archived from the original on 30 July 2023. Retrieved 30 July 2023.
5. ^ Bedi, Rahul (9 April 2019). "Indian Army receives first six of 114 Dhanush howitzers". Janes. Archived from the original on 10 April 2019.
6. ^ Shukla, Ajai (8 February 2014). "Indian artillery guns make a splash at DefExpo". Business Standard. Archived from the original on 28 August 2023.
7. ^ Bipindra, N C (21 June 2014). "'Dhanush' Ready after Final Trials in Pokhran". The New Indian Express. Archived from the original on 29 September 2016.
8. ^ a b "Defexpo 2022: India upgrades Dhanush towed guns". Retrieved 26 June 2025.
9. ^ MP, Sidharth (21 February 2020). "IIT-M working on next-gen Ramjet-powered 155mm artillery shells for Indian Army". WION. Archived from the original on 21 September 2020. Retrieved 22 August 2022.
10. ^ "Dhanush 155mmX45 Calibre Gun". Directorate of Ordnance (Coordination and Services).
11. ^ a b Peri, Dinakar (2 June 2017). "Army to Induct 18 Dhanush Artillery Guns This Year". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 28 August 2023. Retrieved 4 June 2017.
12. ^ a b c d Pandit, Rajat (21 June 2014). "Desi Bofors howitzer undergoes final trials in major boost to indigenization". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 30 August 2023. Retrieved 18 July 2016.
13. ^ a b c d e Arya, Shishir (6 December 2023). "Dhanush production starts after spare part prob solved". The Times of India. ISSN 0971-8257. Archived from the original on 27 November 2024. Retrieved 11 February 2024.
14. ^ a b c d e Peri, Dinakar (3 November 2019). "Indian Army to have first Dhanush regiment by March 2020". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Archived from the original on 20 June 2025. Retrieved 20 June 2025.
15. ^ "An eye on fixed target 'Dhanush' is all set to serve nation: Artillery gun inducted in the Indian Army". NewsBharati. 8 April 2019. Archived from the original on 28 August 2023.
16. ^ a b c "Gun Carriage Factory hands over 3 'Dhanush' guns to Army". The Hindu. 17 July 2016. ISSN 0971-751X. Archived from the original on 17 January 2024. Retrieved 17 July 2016.
17. ^ Unnithan, Sandeep (12 August 2021). "Why L&T is offering the Indian army a homegrown artillery gun". India Today. Archived from the original on 21 December 2022.
18. ^ Arya, Shirshir (21 July 2017). "Desi howitzer fails last phase of tests". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 13 October 2023.
19. ^ Sagar, Pradip R (6 May 2018). "Shots on target, finally". The Week. Archived from the original on 1 May 2018. Retrieved 4 May 2018.
20. ^ Bedi, Rahul (19 February 2019). "Indian MoD approves local production of 114 Dhanush howitzers". Janes. Archived from the original on 20 February 2019.
21. ^ a b "India's military strength, cultural diversity at display during 71st Republic Day Parade". Business Standard India. 26 January 2020. Archived from the original on 26 January 2020. Retrieved 6 April 2021.
22. ^ a b Peri, Dinakar (17 September 2023). "Army likely to complete inducting 114 Dhanush guns by 2026". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 16 February 2024.
23. ^ a b Ray, Kalyan. "New howitzers, firing ranges near the LAC for Army amidst China boundary dispute". Deccan Herald. Retrieved 27 September 2024.
24. ^ Singh, Mayank (7 March 2024). "Plans afoot to add indigenous towed artillery guns Dhanush along LAC". The New Indian Express. Retrieved 25 November 2024.
25. ^ MP, Sidharth (21 February 2020). "IIT-M working on next-gen Ramjet-powered 155mm artillery shells for Indian Army". WION. Archived from the original on 21 September 2020. Retrieved 22 August 2022.
26. ^ "IIT Madras to spearhead development of India's first Indigenous 155mm Smart Ammunition". The Economic Times. 6 February 2024. ISSN 0013-0389. Retrieved 8 February 2024.
27. ^ "IIT Madras to develop smart ammunition | Indian Institute of Technology Madras". www.iitm.ac.in. Archived from the original on 27 November 2024. Retrieved 23 November 2024.
28. ^ MP, Sidharth (5 February 2024). "IIT-M and Munitions India to develop smart ammo for 155mm artillery guns". WION. Retrieved 6 March 2024.
29. ^ Bisht, Inder Singh (9 February 2024). "India Announces Maiden Precision Artillery Round Development". The Defense Post. Retrieved 23 November 2024.
30. ^ "IIT Madras to develop smart ammunition". The Hindu. 5 February 2024. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 20 March 2024.
31. ^ Kajal, Kapil (20 October 2022). "Defexpo 2022: India upgrades Dhanush towed guns". Janes. Archived from the original on 6 November 2022. Retrieved 20 October 2022.
32. ^ Arthur, Gordon (13 February 2024). "India takes next step toward new 155mm towed howitzers". Defense News. Archived from the original on 31 August 2024. Retrieved 16 February 2024.
33. ^ "Danush 155 mm Field Howitzer". militarytoday.com. Archived from the original on 12 December 2023. Retrieved 12 December 2023.
34. ^ Parakala, Akshara (19 April 2018). "Defexpo 2018: OFB showcases 155 mm/52 calibre Mounted Gun System". Janes. Archived from the original on 27 June 2018. Retrieved 4 May 2018.
35. ^ "Local 155mm ammunition, broader production vendor base: Army counters supply issues amid Russia-Ukraine war". The Indian Express. 27 September 2024. Archived from the original on 20 June 2025. Retrieved 27 September 2024.
36. ^ "Indian Army adds new weapon systems in Eastern Ladakh". India Today. 8 July 2023. Retrieved 20 June 2025.

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