The Indian Army deploys M777 Howitzers

Tags: Defence National News

The Indian Army has deployed the M777 Ultra Light Howitzer (155 mm) in the harsh terrain of the country's northern border.

Important facts

• This gun is highly transportable for rapid deployment to meet any operational contingency.

• In the next five years, there are plans to induct several guns, including indigenous ones, into the Army's artillery regiments.

• India has contracted 145 M777 guns from BAE Systems (British Aerospace) and more than half of them have been inducted.

• The Indian Army has also deployed the K9 Vajra-T52-caliber self-propelled artillery gun in Ladakh.

M777 Ultra Light Howitzer

• The M777 is a key component of the Army's Field Artillery Rationalization Plan (FARP), which was approved in 1999.

• The 155 mm/39-caliber M777 howitzer has a range of up to 30 km, but is capable of striking targets at ranges of more than 40 km in some areas.

• Built with titanium and aluminum alloys, the howitzers weigh 4,218 kg.

• The Indian Air Force CH-47F Chinook helicopter can carry the howitzer as an underslung load for rapid deployment in high altitude areas.