Indian army gets first artillery guns from U.S.

Indian Army Thursday received two new artillery gun systems from the United States, local media reports said.

The M-777 ultra-light howitzers arrived in India as part of 145-gun order sealed in a government-to-government deal with the United States for 700 million U.S. dollars.

"The air portable 155 mm, 39-calibre gun will have a maximum range of 30 km and will be used to shore up defenses in high-altitude areas," a report in New Delhi based English news channel NDTV said.

"In all, the military will import 25 M-777s directly from BAE systems, the manufacturer of the guns. The rest will be assembled in India in collaboration with Mahindra Defence Systems," the report added.

The new artillery guns were being procured after three decades' standstill, following purchase of Bofors guns in mid-1980s.

The purchase of Bofors guns from Swedish company triggered controversy after reports that the company paid kickbacks to top Indian politicians for the deal.

The controversy around the deal cost then Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi of Congress Party a chance to return to power in the next election and subsequently slowed down defense procurement in India.

However with Narendra Modi taking as India's Prime Minister, efforts to acquire modern weaponry and defense procurements have seen an impetus. Endit