CONTEXT:

• The Indian Army received the first batch of six ‘Dhanush’ artillery guns from the Ordnance Factory Board (OFB).
• The guns were handed over by Saurabh Kumar, Director General, Ordnance Factories and the OFB chairman, at a ceremony organised in Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh.
• The 155mm x 45 calibre modern artillery gun system was developed by the Ordnance Factories jointly with the Army.

BACKGROUND:

• Dhanush is the first indigenously built 155 mm x 45 calibers long-range artillery gun with a strike range of 38 kilometers.
• It is developed by the Ordnance Factories jointly with the Army.

Hitting Range:

• Its hitting range is around 11 km more than the imported Bofors guns.

Key Features:

• The artillery gun incorporates the latest features such as:
• An inertial navigation system
• An onboard ballistic computer
• Direct day and night firing system
• A modern target acquisition system
• A communication system
• The gun is also fitted with an inertial navigation system with global positioning system- (GPS) based gun recording and auto-playing, an enhanced tactical computer for onboard ballistic computations, an onboard muzzle velocity recording, an automated gun sighting system equipped with the camera, thermal imaging and laser range finder.