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| 155mm Howitzer (File Photo) |
By Vivek Raghuvanshi
NEW DELHI — The Indian Defence Ministry is considering changing the categorization of its $6 billion artillery program in order to include domestic defense companies in the heretofore international bidding process, according to an MoD source.
“The complexion of completion for future gun programs could change with tougher competition from domestic companies,” said defense analyst Mahindra Singh, a retired Indian Army major general.
The move to recategorize the project follows a request by domestic private defense firm Tata Power’s Strategic Electronics Division (SED) to allow it to compete for future gun projects, the source said. Tata Power SED announced last month that it has been able to develop a 155mm/52-caliber mounted gun.
Rahul Chaudhry, Tata Power SED’s CEO, said the company has approached the MoD to put its gun to trial and has demanded to be considered for competition in future mountain gun tenders.
Read the full story at DefenseNews