Indigenously produced Bofor Guns

[LETHALFORCE]

Bofors guns may now be made in India

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/...ain-be-made-indigenously/opinions/7471513.cms

NAGPUR: The gun that blazed a trail of controversy may be finally made at home. It is likely that the Ordnance Factory Board would get an order from Indian Army for making the 155x45 mm Bofors-type howitzers. This is the same specification purchased by the Indian army amidst all the controversy in mid-1980s. At the same time, the army has floated global tenders for the higher version of 155 X 52 mm caliber guns.

Director general (DG) of OFB D M Gupta told TOI certain formalities pertaining to the order were yet to be finalised. He was in city to attend a conference of OF workers on quality management. The guns would be made using a transfer of technology (TOT) agreement already in place with the Swedish original equipment maker AB Bofors after the guns were purchased.

The order is expected to be placed in a couple of months. The OFB is hopeful because the order may be placed on nomination basis meaning there would be no other contender, added a senior official in this organisation. The TOT agreement that the OFB had entered into allows it to make the spares as well further strengthen its case. The OFB already has the set-up and the government has a policy of encouraging indigenous production if there is capacity, added the DG.

If the order is bagged, this would be for the first time that such guns would be entirely made in India. The production was expected to be undertaken at the Gun Carriage Factory at Jabalpur, which makes the 105mm Indian Field Guns, the only indigenously developed howitzers. Earlier, the factory had upgraded the existing 155x45 guns purchased from Sweden to 155x52 mm as well as the 130 mm guns to 155 mm, added a source. However, fresh order is expected only for making the 155x45 mm gun as global tenders have been floated for 155x52 mm guns.

Howitzers are identified by their barrel diameter. In case of 155x45 mm the first figure (155) refers to the diameter of the barrel while second (45) is indicates length of barrel is 45 times that of diameter. This fires a shell up to 30 kms while the 155X52 mm has the range of 40 kms.

The OFB would also be undertaking a programme of increasing production of Pinaka rockets that have a range of over 35 km, said Gupta. Without divulging the figures, he said the capacity would be more than doubled. "There were problems relating to its functioning in cold areas which have been sorted out and soon a programme of scaling up the production will be undertaken. Similar initiatives will be undertaken for augmenting production of shells for T-90 and Arjun tanks too. Other expansion programmes entailing Rs 2,000 crore are also awaiting approval of the government," he added.

Gupta said this financial year, the OFB would be clocking a 29% rise in turnover at Rs 11,208 crore as against Rs 8715 crore in previous fiscal.

 

[JayATL]

I don't know about you. but i find all these claims to make things home grown a bit overwhelming. where is the depth of talent to take on so many projects.

every day there is a post of such an such is now going to made by blah blah in India. Is India's defense industry that developed and big to provide the manpower and brainpower?

 

[Kunal Biswas]

Artillery: RFPs out finally


By Gulshan Luthra

The Indian Army has begun the process for acquiring heavy guns yet again, floating tenders for both the Towed and Tracked systems within January 2011.


The tender for the Towed gun was issued on January 28 while for the Tracked version, it was issued mid-January.

Sources said that several vendors, from France, US, Britain, Israel and Czechoslovakia and other countries, were invited but no details of the tender specifications were available as they are generally secret anyway in accordance with General Staff Qualitative Requirements (GSQRs).

India had earlier cancelled its Request for Proposal (RfP) for 1,580 towed guns (155mm, 52 calibre), as well as for tracked Guns over allegations of corruption involving one company or another. That set back the Army's artillery modernisation programme by three to five years over and above the ten-year long delay in the process.

But the good news is that the summer and winter field trials of the ultralight gun, BAE Systems M 777 A1, have been completed successfully at the Pokhran range and now some negotiations are to be conducting for acquiring 145 of them from the US Government under its Foreign Military Sales (FMS) programme. The 155mm/45 caliber gun, which can be slung-carried by heavy lift helicopters like the Boeing Chinook, or ferried by heavy trucks, is to be deployed in the mountains.

The process to acquire this type of gun was initiated in 2006.US Congressional clearance, a mandatory requirement, has already been given and the gun could be in the Indian Army's inventory within a couple of years after the contract is signed. Made partly of titanium, the gun is about40 per cent lighter than the earlier versions in operation, and is being used extensively in Afghanistan by the US Army.

It has digital controls, can be move quickly after firing, and can deliver munitions up to 40 km. There would be limitations of terrain in the mountains however.

It may be recalled that the artillery had played a decisive role in demolishing Pakistani positions that they had intruded into in Kargil in the 1999 war. But somehow, thanks to the allegations of corruption over the acquisition of 400 Bofors FH 77B (155mm/39 caliber) guns from Sweden in the mid-1980s, the Indian Army has not been able to renew its inventory. The Bofors guns though played havoc with the Pakistanis.
Pakistan however has has acquired M-109 A5 155mm howitzers meanwhile from the United States.

The Indian Army needs to phase out all its medium and field guns, although there is a proposal to upgun the Soviet vintage 130 mm guns into 155 mm guns by replacing the barrel. Israel's Soltam had assisted in this process with the barrles but only some of the guns have been upgunned, and their results are reported to be very good.

While there is no plan to make the ultralight gun in India, both the other proposals involve part purchase and part Transfer of Technology to make them in India. BAE Systems for this has tied up with the Mahindras, and the Czech with the state-run BEML.

The emphasis on the acquisition now is to go in for ToT, and then make the guns indigenously rather than under licence, the latter option inevitably coming with some restrictions.

It may be pointed out that the French have offered to give all the technology if India buys the Ceasar, described by French officials as "the best and most modern gun" now successfully being used in Afghanistan. They say that this gun can meet both the tracked and towed requirements.

Notably, all the guns with the Indian Army's Artillery Regiment are obsolete, and it goes to its credit that despite this limitations, it keeps them in ready to fire position. Old Bofors, the (not so light) Light Field Gun, and the Soviet M 46 medium guns are in this obsolete list.

There is progress though on the rocket artillery with the indigenous Pinaka and Russian Smerch Multi Barrel Rocket Launchers (MBRLs) having been inducted.

One hopes this time, the RFP is replied to, the trials are held as required, the deal is done in time, and the guns are delivered ASAP. Artillery plays a potent, battle-winning role and its modernization cannot be delayed any further.

http://www.indiastrategic.in/topstories890.htm
http://defenceforumindia.com/showthread.php?t=5115&page=35

Originally posted by Black Eagle..

I don't know about you. but i find all these claims to make things home grown a bit overwhelming. where is the depth of talent to take on so many projects.

every day there is a post of such an such is now going to made by blah blah in India. Is India's defense industry that developed

Well, Yes..

OFB ,DRDO , HAL, BEML, L&T, TATA and many more provide almost 80% of everything..

The hype created by FOOLs in Indian Media is laughably , Dont fall for cheap media reports..
Do your own research and understand..

http://defenceforumindia.com/showthread.php?t=5115

Give a look at my above link its abt Indian howitzer status ( Present, past and future )..

 

[Blackwater]

no doubt bofors is very capable howitzer.but tained by bribery. Making 30 yrs old tech in india is of no use.Will India make new version of Bofors???

 

[sandeepdg]

no doubt bofors is very capable howitzer.but tained by bribery. Making 30 yrs old tech in india is of no use.Will India make new version of Bofors???

Yes. The Bofors FH77B is still one of the best towed howitzers in the world today.

http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/europe/fh-77.htm

 

[Blackwater]

Yes. The Bofors FH77B is still one of the best towed howitzers in the world today.

http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/europe/fh-77.htm

i know its best but r we making new version or old one

 

[sandeepdg]

i know its best but r we making new version or old one

Of course, the new one, mate.

 

[Kunal Biswas]

Of course, the new one, mate.

Not 52cal but 45cal..

 

[sandeepdg]

Not 52cal but 45cal..

Yeah, I meant the 45 calibre one.

 

[Sridhar]

Published February 28, 2012 | By admin

SOURCE: EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE

Defeating the ghost of Bofors scandal that has haunted successive Congress governments, the Indian Ordinance Factory Board (OFB) has set on a daunting task of manufacturing 100 Bofors artillery guns indigenously from scratch, nearly 24 years after the first of these Swedish guns were inducted into the Indian Army.

The Indian Army has already placed an order with the OFB and the effort if successful will save the country millions and would give the country a capability to further improvise the guns to add punch to its firepower.

Speaking exclusively to Express, Minister of State for Defence M M Pallam Raju said: "The Indian Army has put a substantial order for 100 of these Bofors guns. It is a huge task for the OFB. If we are successful, it will be a huge technology boost to the Indian defence market."

The designs are already with the OFB and the Indian Army's decision to go for 100 guns at the beginning of the project and testing the guns simultaneously as the manufacturing goes on, will cut down the time of fructification of the project.



Earlier, the Army contemplated first getting the two prototypes of the guns, then putting them to extensive field trials. Once the designs were validated, the guns were to be mass produced.



Seeing the delays in previous projects, the defence ministry has decided to set up a Monitoring Committee to oversee the progress of the project and involve the Army in the project from the beginning.

100 made-in-India Bofors artillery guns | idrw.org

 

[bhramos]

already posted here

http://defenceforumindia.com/indian-army/5115-indian-army-artillery-61.html

 

[SPIEZ]

Finally army gets it's much needed artillery. I highly doubt that the army would have accepted this, if it the import of these were under restriction.

India needs more sanctions, either self imposed or otherwise.

 

[bhramos]

The funny thing is that till about a few months ago, DRDO did not even know that it had the full ToT with designs with them. It was "discovered". wow! xD

 

[SPIEZ]

The funny thing is that till about a few months ago, DRDO did not even know that it had the full ToT with designs with them. It was "discovered". wow! xD

I would liek to change the phrase as "made to discover that they had the ToT".

 

[sayareakd]

gun is supposed to be mad by ofb and not by drdo. Ofb was supposed to be maker of bofors, when we didnt go for TOT.
Any way we are in better position to make things then in 1990s. Lets hope it is delivered and would pass army test.

 

[Bhadra]

Finally army gets it's much needed artillery. I highly doubt that the army would have accepted this, if it the import of these were under restriction.

India needs more sanctions, either self imposed or otherwise.

You mean to say India needs guns which fires backwards towards OFV and MoD ??

 

[Godless-Kafir]

Forget Fighter aircrafts, first DRDO should make a decent gun.

 

[arya]

another way to waste time army needs guns on urgent base while govt is just playing time pass games

well frankly if i will be china think tanker i will use this golden time how will our army fight without guns

we all thing have on papers, MMRCA,LCA2,GUNS,AC what a game govt is playing

 

[Bhadra]

another way to waste time army needs guns on urgent base while govt is just playing time pass games

well frankly if i will be china think tanker i will use this golden time how will our army fight without guns

we all thing have on papers, MMRCA,LCA2,GUNS,AC what a game govt is playing

Mr Saint Antony says India has sufficient guns ? It is statement from the RM so how dare you say there are no guns. Who knows it better MoD babu or you ?

 

[arya]

Mr Saint Antony says India has sufficient guns ? It is statement from the RM so how dare you say there are no guns. Who knows it better MoD babu or you ?

i know much better dont you know that