India to buy 145 M777 howitzers from the US

摘要

India's Ministry of Defence (MoD) is to buy 145 BAE Systems M777 155 mm/39-calibre lightweight howitzers from the United States via the Foreign Military Sales (FMS) route for about USD750 million. The move is part of 19 proposals approved by the MoD on 24 June worth INR280 billion (USD4.24 billion). The Defence Acquisition Council (DAC), headed by Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar, agreed that 25 of the long-awaited M777s would be procured in completed form. The remaining 120 howitzers will be built at the BAE Systems Assembly, Integration & Testing (AIT) facility that is being transferred from the US and established locally in partnership with Mahindra Defence, possibly on New Delhi's outskirts.