India To Procure 100 Self-Propelled Howitzers

The Indian Army is planning to procure 100 self-propelled artillery howitzers and three Indian vendors, including two private companies, have been selected for equipment trials, Defence Minister A K Antony said on Monday.

In a written reply to the Parliament, Antony said the recent amendment to Defence Procurement Procedure-2011 aims at giving higher preference to indigenous capacity in the defence sector.

“A case for procurement of 100 tracked guns of 155mm/52 Calibre (self-propelled) is in progress wherein three Indian vendors, including two private sector companies, have been

selected for trials of their equipment," Antony said.

He also told the House that the entire fleet of Infantry Combat Vehicle (ICV) is being modernised on basis of the operational requirement of the Army. “In the ICV fleet, armament and firepower capability are being upgraded with the latest generation Fire Control System, Twin Missile Launchers and Commander's Thermal Imaging Panoramic sights. These ICVs will also be equipped with the latest generation Anti Tank Guided Missiles and Automatic Grenade Launchers," he said.

Antony said the estimated cost of upgrading the fleet has been estimated to Rs 8,000 crore.

On procurement of 126 Medium Multi-Role Combat Aircraft (MMRCA) for IAF, he said the proposal is at commercial discussion stage with France-based Dassault Aviation.