Dhanush 155 mm Howitzer
India's domestically produced 155 mm/45-caliber towed howitzer, developed from the FH-77B lineage with digital fire control, automatic laying and an auxiliary power unit.
An Indian 155 mm/45-caliber towed howitzer derived from the FH-77B design and equipped with updated navigation, fire-control and gun-laying systems.
Overview
Dhanush is a 155 mm/45-caliber towed artillery system developed and manufactured in India for the Indian Army. India's Department of Defence Production describes it as an electronically upgraded artillery gun system, while its mechanical lineage derives from the 155 mm/39-caliber FH-77B acquired from Sweden. The longer barrel, digital fire-control equipment and locally integrated subsystems distinguish Dhanush from the original gun.
The system is manufactured at the Gun Carriage Factory in Jabalpur, which now operates under Advanced Weapons and Equipment India Limited. The Army's firm procurement baseline is 114 guns, although production and deliveries have progressed more slowly than originally planned. Dhanush occupies the domestically produced, conventional towed-artillery segment of India's wider Field Artillery Rationalisation Plan.
Development
Dhanush emerged from India's effort to use the FH-77B design and technical documentation as the basis for a domestically manufactured, upgraded 155 mm gun. Development extended the original 39-caliber configuration to 45 calibers and incorporated electronic navigation, fire-control and laying equipment. The program underwent trials in desert, high-altitude and other climatic conditions before the Army cleared bulk production.
The initial production requirement covered 114 guns. The first six were handed over to the Indian Army in April 2019, according to Janes and contemporaneous reporting by the Indian Express. That transfer began Army induction; it did not complete the order.
Subsequent production encountered scheduling and gun-stabilization issues. A July 2024 report said stabilization work was proceeding while the delivery schedule remained on track, according to the Times of India, but later reporting indicated that completion would miss the previously expected 2026 deadline.
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