India inches closer to key landmark on indigenous artillery ammo

India is inching closer to having its own indigenously designed and developed artillery ammunition, with several successful firings as part of a Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) project to reduce foreign dependency.

Sources said that four variants of the 155 mm artillery ammunition have been tested over the past two years and have been found to match or exceed the requirements of the Army. The variants include high explosive rounds, smoke rounds and dual purpose improved conventional munition (DPICM) rounds that are used to target a larger area.

Final development-cum-user trials are planned by November, following which the ammunition can be ordered in large numbers if found fit by the Army. "The development phase of the ammunition is almost over and we are moving towards user trials. The user is already being closely involved in the project," a source said.

The ammunition is being made under the Development Cum Production Partner (DCPP) programme with two industry partners chosen to first make prototypes and then deliver larger numbers to the armed forces. There is a significant demand for artillery ammunition in India and across the world - the Indian requirement is likely to be to the tune of ₹10,000 crore over the next decade while exports can amount to several times of that.

The companies - Reliance Infrastructure-owned Jai Ammunition Limited and state-owned Yantra India Limited - have closely worked with DRDO for the past two years to develop the ammunition.