India Clears Deal For Buying 145 Artillery Guns from BAE Systems

An M777. (Photo: Reuters)

• India’s defence procurement agency has cleared a proposal to buy 145 M777 Ultra Lightweight Howitzer artillery guns from BAE Systems, in a deal worth an estimated $750 million, a defence ministry source who asked not to be identified in line with ministry rules said on Saturday.
  
  
• Under the deal, 120 of the 145 guns will be assembled in India. Prime Minister Narendra Modi wants to upgrade the country’s military hardware by replenishing its range of artillery weapons after years of delays in ordering new equipment. But Modi wants deals with foreign companies to include the setting up of factories and plants in India to boost the local industry.
  
  
• BAE said in February it had chosen Indian conglomerate Mahindra Group to build a plant for the assembly of Howitzer artillery guns it hopes to sell to India. The proposal will soon be communicated to the United States, where BAE manufactures the weapons.