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M-777 gun suffers damage during test:
Context
- An M-777 ultralight howitzer from the U.S. was damaged during field testing in Pokhran on September 2.
How did this happen?
- During the firing, the projectile which was the fifth of the series exited the barrel in multiple pieces.
- The gun was manufactured by BAE Systems of the U.S and it was using Indian ammunition.
- The field trial was under way for compilation of firing tables.
What was the extent of damage?
- The extent of damage to the barrel is being assessed by a joint investigation team. No one has been injured.
What was the agreement?
- Last November, India signed a deal with the U.S. government under the Foreign Military Sales programme for 145 of these guns at a cost of $737 million.
- As part of the agreement, two guns arrived in April for calibrating range tables and three more guns will be arriving in September 2018 for training.
- Deliveries are scheduled to start in March 2019 and at the rate of five guns a month, will be completed by mid-2021.
- While 25 guns will be imported, the remaining 120 will be assembled in India by the Mahindra group.
