Army’s new USmade big gun is in trouble, barrel explodes
NEW DELHI: The army’s new M777 ultra-light howitzer, imported from the United States, was involved in an accident early September that resulted in a 155mm artillery round exploding in the gun’s barrel, the army said on Tuesday.
The M777 was one of the two howitzers that arrived in New Delhi in May as part of a $750-million contract signed with the US in November 2016. India has ordered 145 such howitzers. The gun was firing Indian ammunition at Rajasthan’s Pokhran firing ranges.
“During the firing on September 2, the projectile, which was fifth of the series, exited the barrel in multiple pieces,” an army officer said. No one was injured in the accident. He said an investigation team was assessing the damage suffered by the gun.
The army said a detailed input from the gun’s manufacturer, BAE Systems, would follow.
“BAE Systems is aware of an irregularity recorded during routine field firing of the M777. We are working closely with the Indian Army and the US Government to explore the incident,” a company spokesperson said.
The M777 order is the first contract for artillery guns in almost 30 years after the Bofors scandal unfolded in the late 1980s.
The two guns received by the army are part of the 25 readybuilt weapons that will be supplied by the US over the next two years. The remaining 120 howitzers will be produced in the country under the Modi government’s Make in India initiative. The guns will be built in India in collaboration with Mahindra Defence.
The 155mm/39-caliber howitzers are being inducted to increase the army’s capabilities in high altitude. The M777s will be deployed in the northern and eastern sectors. The army’s new mountain strike corps, being raised in West Bengal’s Panagarh, will be equipped with the new guns.
The howitzers weigh only 4,218 kg, providing them superior tactical mobility. In contrast, 155mm towed howitzers weigh twice as much.
The howitzers can be underslung from helicopters and swiftly deployed at high-altitude areas. The M777s are built with titanium and aluminum alloys.
More than 1,090 M777s are in service globally. The howitzers have been used during operations in Afghanistan and Iraq. India is the latest user of the howitzers operated by the US, Australian and Canadian militaries.