Defence Ministry mulls buying arms from US

The Ministry of Defence is considering the purchase of ultra-light howitzers from the United States for the Army, to rush the pending artillery modernisation plan. The Indian Army has not added a new gun in more than two decades, diminishing its fire power.Defence sources said the government was looking to purchase these guns through the foreign military sales route, a US government procedure for fast track arms deals.

Even as US secretary for defence Robert Gates is expected to visit India later this month, New Delhi is now actively exploring the option of importing 145 air-mobile ultra-light howitzers (ULHs) for around Rs 2,900 crore from Washington in a direct government-to-government deal. The Army is looking to howitzers for deployment in the mountainous regions from Jammu and Kashmir to the North East.

This comes in the backdrop of the Army getting desperate to kickstart its long-delayed Rs 20,000 crore artillery modernisation programme, with the acquisition of different types of 155mm/52-calibre guns still stuck in different stages due to scandals.

Army needs the ultra-light howitzers to ensure that artillery can be swiftly deployed in forward, inaccessible areas with the help of helicopters. In fact, the two new mountain divisions being raised primarily for the eastern front with China, with around 15,000 soldiers each, are also to be equipped with ULHs.

Consequently, the direct foreign military sales (FMS) route with US government is now "also being progressed" for the BAE Land Systems' M-777A1 ultra-light howitzers. The MoD has been on a spending spree, signing 465 contracts in the last three years between 2007 and 2009 worth Rs 135,000 crore. The ministry hopes to exhaust its entire budget of Rs 41,000 crore for acquisitions this year.

The last few years have seen some big ticket purchases, from Phalcon Airborne Warning and Control Systems to Sukhoi 30 MKI fighter aircraft, missiles and long range maritime reconnaissance aircraft - the Boeing P-8I.

The MoD is expected to finalise some big deals in the next few months, including the 126 multirole fighter aircrafts. The government has used the fast track route to buy military platform from the US in the past.