After failing multiple trials, the Dhanush 155mm howitzer might be inducted shortly, as it is expected to be put to the final test in January 2019. The Dhanush project was started by OFB (Ordnance Factories Board) to replace the older 105 mm Indian Field Gun, 105 mm Light Field Gun and the Russian 122 mm guns with a modern 155mm artillery gun.

Dhanush Indian-made 155mm towed howitzer at DefExpo defense exhibition in India, April 2018. (Picture source Army Recognition)

If the general staff quality requirements (GSQR) are met, India's first indigenous gun will eventually be inducted in February 2019 during a ceremony planned at the School of Artillery in Deolali. Within the next calendar year, 18 Dhanush guns (155mm/45mm) should be delivered to the Indian Army.

Earlier in 2018, Senior General Manager SK Singh declared that the gun had successfully been assessed under severe cold conditions in Sikkim and Leh, and in hot and humid weather in Balasore, Odisha, Babina in Jhansi and in the desert of Pokhran in Rajasthan.

However, during the first trial in 2013, a shell had burst inside the barrel, and a shell had hit the muzzle brake a couple of times in 2017. According to the Times of India, an investigation had been conducted, revealing that the manufacturer was not to blame.

The Dhanush 155mm towed howitzer, developed by the Ordnance Factory Board (OFB) and manufactured by Jabalpur-based Gun Carriage Factory (GCF), is an upgraded version of the Swedish 130mm Bofors. The Dhanush can outrange the imported gun by 11km, firing up to 38km. According to an official, the current version of the Indian howitzer is made of 81 per cent of local components, which should increase to 90 per cent by 2019.

Though it is not officialy known, an upgraded version of the Dhanush gun (Dhanush Version 2) is reportedly being developed by India’s Defense Research and Development Organization. The new variant is believed to offer a larger caliber (52mm) and a slightly increased range (42km).