New Delhi, May 21:

The Indian defence ministry has issued two requests for proposal (RfP) to overseas vendors for 180 155mm/52 caliber wheeled howitzers and 100 tracked self-propelled (SP) guns respectively as part of a long-delayed attempt at standardizing the army’s artillery inventory.

Defence sources said the RfP, or an initial inquiry, for the wheeled howitzers was dispatched four weeks ago to 27 vendors while the one for tracked howitzers was issued last week to 17 manufacturers from Sweden, Singapore, Fra-nce, Spain, Austria, Finland, Israel and Italy. The eventual contract is to include transfer of technology to locally build the howitzers.

Under the Field Artillery Rationalisation Plan, the army plans by 2020-25 on acquiring a mix of around 3,600 155mm/52 cal towed, wheeled and tracked guns for some 180 of some 220 artillery regiments that could cost $5-7 billion. The army’s remaining 40-odd artillery regiments are equi-pped with light guns and missiles.

Trials of the two 155mm systems are expected to take place next summer. They are also likely to include trials for towed 155mm howitzers, the RfP for which is imminent, official sources said. Pre-sently, the army operates around 14 different caliber guns but has long wanted to configure its artillery force levels predominantly around 155mm/52 caliber howitzers to enhance battlefield effectiveness.

Its most modern platform is the FH 77B 155mm/39 cal Bofors howitzer, 410 of which were acquired in the 1980s to equip aro-und 20 regiments and have since become outdated. Of the original 410 Bofors howitzers, around 370 remain serviceable, remainder having been cannibalised to keep the remaining guns operational.