Years of changing plans
After three years of searching and negotiations, India ordered 145 M777 155 mm ultra-light howitzers from the United States in 2013. The road to that order was far from direct. Purchase plans were restarted in 2010, cleared by India’s Ministry of Defence in 2012, and then postponed and reconsidered several times. Cost concerns led the government to announce in 2014 that it would not proceed, but the selection process was restarted under the Make in India programme later that year.
The Ministry of Defence approved funds in 2015, and the deal was completed in November 2016. BAE Systems was to provide 25 ready-built guns, while Mahindra Defence Systems was to manufacture 120 in India. The army planned seven regiments, each with 18 guns.
From delivery to service
The first shipment of two howitzers arrived in New Delhi in May 2017. During calibration trials later that year, one gun’s barrel was reported damaged. Procurement of all 145 guns was completed by 2023.
In 2021, the Indian Army used the M777 during the Himvijay exercise in Arunachal Pradesh, involving newly raised integrated battle groups. In 2020, following heightened tensions with China, India announced further purchases of Excalibur shells. Discussions began in 2023 between India and the United States about extending the M777’s range through an M777 ER upgrade, with plans for India to upgrade its fleet.
A lighter kind of capability
The M777’s place in the plan reflects the army’s intention to field not just one type of artillery, but systems suited to different needs. Its long procurement history also shows how a military requirement can be reshaped by price, domestic-production goals, and changing strategic circumstances.