The induction of the second Dhanush regiment is crucial because the lightweight artillery guns are expected to give the Indian Army much-needed cutting edge during mountain warfare on the Line of Control (LoC) and Line of Actual Control (LAC) against Pakistan and China respectively Image Courtesy PTI

New Delhi: With India facing formidable opponents in China and Pakistan across the Himalayan frontiers, the Indian Army has felt the need for a light artillery gun for several years now.

The indigenously developed Dhanush 155mmX45 caliber artillery guns which had faced complaints regarding quality, has now been cleared in the latest test.

The Indian Army has recommenced induction of the Dhanush artillery system and is raising a second regiment of the indigenously upgraded gun. The process of inducting the second Dhanush regiment into the Indian Army is scheduled to be completed in March. A regiment comprises 18 guns.

The induction of the second Dhanush regiment is crucial because the lightweight artillery guns are expected to give the Indian Army much-needed cutting edge during mountain warfare on the Line of Control (LoC) and Line of Actual Control (LAC) against Pakistan and China respectively.

With India and China facing off in a military standoff in Ladakh since early 2020, the Indian Army had felt an acute need of lightweight artillery guns in the Himalayas. As a result, the testing and induction of the Dhanush guns was accelerated.

The Indian Army had raised the first regiment of Dhanush artillery guns in March 2020. But after the delivery of Six guns, the Indian Army reported quality control issues with the artillery pieces and refused to take any more of the guns.

The Dhanush artillery was successfully tested at the Pokhran field firing range in the Jaisalmer district of Rajasthan last year. During the test, two Dhanush guns fired around 90 rounds and managed to hit targets at a range of 38 kilometers.

According to a report by Indian Defence Research Wing (IDRW), the Dhanush gun notched up 100% success in second-line firing.

The Indian Army had originally planned to induct all 114 Dhanush guns by March last year. However, several delays allowed time to fix issues with the artillery system.

The Indian Army is scheduled to raise four more regiments of the Dhanush artillery system by 2024.

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