New Delhi: Titanium is used in the manufacture of the M-777 ultra-light howitzer, “About 25 M-777 guns will come fully assembled and the rest of them will be assembled, integrated and tested in India, for which we will have to set up our capacities and which will also cut transportation costs substantially,” a defence official said.
The Rs 5,100-crore deal, which will now go to the Union Cabinet for final clearance, had been in the works for the last four years.
In all, 19 proposals were considered, of which there were new schemes worth about Rs 28,000 core, besides a large number of ongoing ones. The Make-in-India effort and the indigenisation drive were recurring themes at Saturday’s DAC meeting.
Expressing satisfaction with the progress in the manufacture of the indigenous 155 mm Dhanush field guns (range 38 km), the DAC cleared bulk production of 18 guns.
Three guns will be delivered for user exploitation by June 30 and another three more will be handed over by September “to enable better exploitation and setting up of indigenous production”.
For the Navy, the DAC approved a Rs 13,600-crore “buy Indian” proposal to acquire six next-generation missile vessels besides the indigenous purchase of five diving support craft. For the IAF, the DAC cleared the procurement of an indigenously-developed Rs 500-crore simulator for Jaguar fighter aircraft and setting up of a Rs 1,300-crore electronic warfare range using indigenous capabilities.
