India's indigenous 155mm Dhanush howitzer might be inducted shortly as it will be facing the final test in January 2019 after multiple failures.

The Dhanush 155mm howitzer comes under Dhanush project and was started by OFB (Ordnance Factories Board) to replace the older 105mm Indian Field Gun, 105 mm Light Field Gun and the Russian 122 mm guns with a modern 155mm artillery gun.

According to Belgium based defence and security magazine, Army Recognition, India's first indigenous gun will eventually be inducted in February 2019 during a ceremony planned at the School of Artillery in Deolali. 

And, within the next calendar year, 18 Dhanush guns (155 mm/45 mm) should be delivered to the Indian Army. The induction is likely to be made after it fulfils general staff quality requirements (GSQR).

The Dhanush 155mm towed howitzer, developed by the Ordnance Factory Board (OFB) and manufactured by Jabalpur-based Gun Carriage Factory (GCF), is an upgraded version of the Swedish 130mm Bofors.

The Dhanush can out-range the imported gun by 11 km, firing up to 38 km. According to an official, the current version of the Indian howitzer is made of 81 per cent of local components, which should increase to 90 per cent by 2019.

Earlier in 2018, Senior General Manager SK Singh declared that the gun had successfully been assessed under severe cold conditions in Sikkim and Leh, and in hot and humid weather in Balasore, Odisha, Babina in Jhansi and in the desert of Pokhran in Rajasthan.

However, during the first trial in 2013, a shell had burst inside the barrel, and a shell had hit the muzzle brake a couple of times in 2017. An investigation had been conducted, revealing that the manufacturer was not to blame.

Though it is not officially known, an upgraded version of the Dhanush gun (Dhanush Version 2) is reportedly being developed by India’s Defence Research and Development Organisation. The new variant is believed to offer a larger calibre (52mm) and a slightly increased range (42 km).