NEW DELHI, Oct. 2 (UPI) -- India has reportedly decided to obtain M777 ultra-light howitzers from the United States under the Foreign Military Sales program.
The Press Trust of India reported the request for 145 155mm howitzers will be submitted to the United States this month.
"The Letter of Request for procuring 145 ultra-light howitzers for the Indian army through the Foreign Military Sales route would be issued in October," a Defense Ministry official was quoted as saying.
The report said the acquisition go-ahead was given by the government's Defense Acquisition Council and that the guns, once acquired, would be deployed in high-altitude areas in Arunachal Pradesh and Ladakh.
"The Ultra-Light howitzers are expected to be the first artillery guns to be included into the army in the last 26 years," it said.
The M777 is manufactured by the BAE Systems. It has an effective range of about 15 miles and has a normal rate of fire of two rounds per minute. It is used by Australian and Canadian forces in addition to the U.S. Army and Marine Corps.
