“Dhanush”, the indigenously developed and manufactured 155mm x 45 Calibre modern artillery Gun system has achieved significant technological milestones that have set it on an independent developmental trajectory. “Dhanush” has evolved as a most modern gun system in its own right, independent of its lineage.
“Dhanush” weighs 700 Kg more than the 155mm/39 Calibre BOFORS and has an 877mm longer barrel. It has a larger chamber volume of 23 liters as compared to 19 liters of the BOFORS.
Some of the important functional differences and the underlying technologies are as under :
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Range: The new barrel design and modified double baffle muzzle brake (MDBMB) system has led to an enhancement of range from 27 Km to 38 Km. The MDBMB limits the stress on the structure to 155/39 levels. |
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Charge: Modification in the loading trough and loading tray enables “Dhanush” to accommodate the large diameter of the bi-modular charge system (BMCS). |
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Laying: “Dhanush” has an auto laying system based on the Fire Control Computer System as compared to the manual system of the Bofors Gun. |
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Sighting System: “Dhanush” has Advanced Gun Sighting System with a day camera (CCD), a night camera, a laser range finder (LRF) and NFOV and WFOVas compared to the optical day and night sight of Bofors. |
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Ballistic Calculation: “Dhanush” has an on-board Advanced Tactical Computer as distinct from Bofors where the ballistic calculations were done at the command post. |
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Gun Recording: “Dhanush” has an Inertial Navigation System (INS) and a GPS as against the theodolite based system of the Bofors. |
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Gun Positioning : “Dhanush” has an Advanced Gun Alignment and Positioning System (AGAPS) which relies on the INS, GPS, CPU and odometer. |
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Muzzle Velocity Recording : “Dhanush” has an on-board muzzle velocity recorder (MVR) as distinct from the off-board system of the Bofors. |
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Back-up Sight: “Dhanush” has a direct and indirect sighting system based on a day and night sight (RS 420) and an indirect sight 104A developed by the Ordnance Factory Dehradun in addition to the Electronic Sighting System. |
