Platform profile · India · 155 mm/45-calibre towed howitzer · Indian Army
Dhanush 155 mm x 45 Calibre Artillery Gun System
ApprovedDAC granted Acceptance of Necessity for Dhanush on 2026-03-27; the official release gave no quantity or Dhanush-specific value.
On 27 March 2026, the Defence Acquisition Council granted Acceptance of Necessity for a fresh Dhanush Gun System procurement, although the official release disclosed neither its quantity nor a Dhanush-specific value. Earlier that month, Indian media, citing defence officials, reported a proposed 300-gun follow-on for 15 regiments, so that number remains reported rather than contracted. By June 2025, defence sources said two regiments were operational and a third was receiving guns, while warning that the March 2026 completion target for the original 114-gun order was likely to slip. AWEIL's 155 mm/45-calibre system offers a stated range beyond 37 km, automated sighting and navigation, day-night direct fire, shoot-and-scoot capability and NATO-standard ammunition compatibility. The programme matters because it expands India's indigenous long-range towed-artillery fleet while reducing dependence on legacy imports.
Updated 27 Mar 2026
Verified figures
Specifications
| Specification | Value |
|---|---|
| Calibre | 155 mm x 45 calibre ↗ |
| Maximum range | More than 37 km ↗ |
| Weight | Less than 13 tonnes ↗ |
| Ground clearance | 400 mm ↗ |
| Elevation | -3 to +70 degrees ↗ |
| Traverse | 60-degree arc ↗ |
| Burst rate of fire | 3 rounds in 30 seconds ↗ |
| Intense rate of fire | 12 rounds in 3 minutes ↗ |
| Gun sight | Advanced Gun Sighting System (AGSS) ↗ |
| Navigation | GPS-aided inertial navigation system ↗ |
| Direct fire | Day and night capability ↗ |
| Ammunition and charges | Standard NATO 155 mm ammunition; ball bags or bi-modular charge system ↗ |
Spec sources: aweil.in ↗ · pib.gov.in ↗ · pib.gov.in ↗
Changelog
Program timeline
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The Defence Acquisition Council granted Acceptance of Necessity for a Dhanush Gun System procurement as part of a wider Rs 2.38 lakh crore package; the official release did not disclose the Dhanush quantity or its individual value.
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Indian media reported, citing defence officials, that the Army was set to seek 300 more Dhanush guns for 15 regiments; no contract had yet been announced.
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Dhanush joined more than 30 parade entities displayed at the Indian Army's 78th Army Day celebration on Mahal Road in Jaipur, Rajasthan.
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The New Indian Express reported that two Dhanush regiments were operational and that the Army had begun raising a third by receiving several guns; the original plan covered 114 guns in six regiments.
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The first six Dhanush guns were handed over to the Indian Army at Gun Carriage Factory Jabalpur against the initial 114-gun order.
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The Army and Ministry of Defence granted Ordnance Factory Board bulk-production clearance for 114 Dhanush guns after each trial gun had covered more than 1,600 km in towed and self-propelled modes.
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Six Dhanush guns fired 101 rounds in battery formation at Pokhran after each of the six had fired 50 rounds during 2-6 June, completing the final validation series.
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Defense News reported that three trial incidents in three months, including a shell striking a prototype's muzzle brake, threatened to delay the planned 114-gun induction.
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The defence minister inaugurated a 155 mm gun-manufacturing facility at Gun Carriage Factory Jabalpur to support the indigenous howitzer effort that produced Dhanush.
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