Suppliers can register to compete for a contract by March 8 in response to the Indian Army's launch of a tender for 155mm towed howitzers.
The decision was made in response to the Defense Acquisition Council's Nov. 30 approval of the towed gun systems' necessity.
According to the Defense Ministry's announcement last year, the gun would "become a mainstay of artillery forces of the Indian Army."
The Army intends to purchase 52-caliber, 155mm artillery guns under the Buy Indian-IDDM acquisition category, per the tender document. In order to participate in this process, an Indian vendor must have conceived, developed, and manufactured their product locally, sourcing at least half of its cost from within the country.
The towed gun systems have to weigh no more than fifteen tons and be capable of firing the current 155mm ammunition forty kilometers or more (25 miles or more) away. It must have a minimum barrel life of 1,500 comparable full charges and a minimum service life of 20 years.
It has taken a while for the Army to gather steam in its 1999 Artillery Rationalization Plan to equip several thousand modern artillery systems. Nonetheless, the modernization effort is "picking up speed," according to retired Lt. Gen. J.P. Singh, a former deputy chief of the Army Staff for planning and systems and advisor to the government's Defense Research and Development Organization, who spoke with Defense News.
According to local media estimates, the Army might purchase 1,200 towed gun systems, but an initial order for 400 howitzers valued at roughly 65 billion rupees (almost $783 million) would probably be placed.
