U.S. Army Trains on M777A2 and Dhanush Howitzers to Improve Artillery Interoperability With India.

The U.S. Army’s 11th Airborne Division trained with Indian crews on M777A2 and Dhanush 155 mm howitzers and observed L70 Bofors air defense live fire during Yudh Abhyas 2026, expanding the exercise into direct procedural integration. The training improves tactical interoperability by exposing U.S. soldiers to Indian fire-mission methods, gun emplacement practices, and short-range air defense procedures across different equipment architectures.

At the Mahajan Field Firing Range in Rajasthan, personnel from the 2nd Battalion, 8th Field Artillery Regiment worked alongside Indian artillery crews on the lightweight M777A2 and the longer-range Dhanush. At the same time, other 11th Airborne soldiers studied upgraded L70 40 mm air defense operations. The exchange gives both forces a clearer understanding of how partner units generate fires, reduce firing-position exposure, and protect maneuver and support elements despite differences in weapons, sensors, and command systems.

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U.S. and Indian Army soldiers conduct maintenance on an M777 155 mm howitzer during bilateral artillery training at Mahajan Field Firing Range in Rajasthan on Sept. 19, 2026, as part of Yudh Abhyas 2026. (Picture source: US DoD)

The artillery component centers on Charlie Battery, 2nd Battalion, 8th Field Artillery Regiment, 1st Brigade, 11th Airborne Division. U.S. and Indian crews are integrating around both the American-origin M777A2 and India’s Dhanush, comparing the sequence of fire missions, emplacement methods, and crew routines. American personnel highlight the speed of Indian gun teams, their effort to reduce the signature of firing positions, and the efficiency with which they move from receipt of an engagement mission. These procedural details directly shape survivability once counter-battery sensors and loitering systems enter the equation.

According to material released by the U.S. Department of Defense on September 19, the exchange also covers the practical handling of the two 155 mm systems and lessons drawn from operating them side by side during Yudh Abhyas 2026. The M777A2 is a lightweight towed howitzer weighing under 10,000 pounds and equipped with a digital fire-control suite supporting self-location, laying and precision fires. U.S. Army data places its range at about 24.7 km with standard projectiles, around 30 km with rocket-assisted ammunition, and up to 40 km with Excalibur. India’s Dhanush is a heavier 155 mm 45-caliber weapon derived from the FH-77B lineage, with a stated range of 36 km and firing demonstrated to approximately 38 km with specialized ammunition.

That technical contrast explains much of the training value. The M777A2 is built around mobility, expeditionary deployment and rapid displacement, while Dhanush reflects a different balance between reach, weight and sustained fire. Bringing crews together around both systems exposes soldiers to the operational consequences of those choices. It affects how a battery occupies a position, how ammunition is handled, how firing data are passed, and how quickly a section can displace after engagement. In modern artillery combat, where radar cueing and drones compress the time between detection and return fire, those habits matter as much as nominal range.

The air defense component adds a second layer to the exercise. Soldiers from the 11th Airborne Division also observe Indian L70 Bofors live fire and study how local crews conduct short-range air defense engagements. The upgraded Indian L70 retains the 40 mm gun but is paired with a modern electro-optical fire-control package. Bharat Electronics has described upgraded configurations with electric servo drives, a daylight television camera, thermal imaging, an eye-safe laser rangefinder, and autonomous ballistic computation, with interfaces for target or fire-control radars. This allows a legacy gun to remain useful against low-altitude threats when connected to modern detection and tracking inputs.

U.S. and Indian Army Soldiers conduct bilateral artillery training during exercise Yudh Abhyas 2026 at Mahajan Field Firing Range, Rajasthan, India, Sept. 17, 2026 (Picture source: US DoD)

Combining artillery and air defense familiarization in the same exercise gives the 11th Airborne a clearer picture of how an Indian formation protects and supports its fires. Learning Indian fire-mission procedures can reduce friction at battery level, while exposure to L70 engagement drills clarifies how short-range air defense may be positioned around artillery sites, logistics nodes, or maneuver elements. The exercise does not remove differences in communications architecture, ammunition supply or command systems. It does build familiarity with the timing and support relationships that shape combined operations when forces do not share identical equipment.

This training is especially relevant for a rapidly deployable U.S. formation. The 11th Airborne Division is designed to operate across demanding terrain and long distances, often with limited infrastructure and compressed deployment timelines. In that environment, interoperability depends less on having the same platforms than on understanding how partners detect targets, assign missions, move firing units, and protect them from air attack. Exposure to Indian procedures helps create that baseline before any larger coalition framework is required.

Yudh Abhyas 2026 therefore illustrates a broader feature of U.S.-India defense cooperation. India combines American equipment such as the M777 with domestically produced or modernized systems including Dhanush and L70, producing a force structure that cannot be approached through NATO standardization alone. For Washington, repeated training with that mix improves the ability to operate alongside a major Indo-Pacific partner without full equipment commonality. For New Delhi, it offers a direct comparison between Indian methods and those of a U.S. airborne formation built around expeditionary response. In a region increasingly shaped by long-range fires, drones, and contested airspace, procedural compatibility may prove as important as platform compatibility itself.

Written By Erwan Halna du Fretay - Defense Analyst, Army Recognition Group
Erwan Halna du Fretay holds a Master’s degree in International Relations and has experience studying conflicts and global arms transfers. His research interests lie in Security and strategic studies, particularly the dynamics of the defense industry, the evolution of military technologies, and the strategic transformation of armed forces.