India finally approves M777 buy

28th June 2016 - 09:24 GMT | by Gordon Arthur in Hong Kong

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India finally cleared the sale of 145 BAE Systems M777 lightweight howitzers on 25 June, capping an acquisition that started an agonising ten years ago. At the same time, it approved the production of 18 locally produced Dhanush towed howitzers.

The decision came during a meeting of the Defence Acquisition Council (DAC), where a US letter of acceptance (LoA) for the M777 155mm 39-calibre artillery pieces was approved.

This paves the way for the Indian Army to receive its first new artillery pieces in three decades, with memory of the 1987 Bofors scandal plaguing every acquisition effort since then. …

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