The Dhanush howitzer program, once projected as a flagship success story of India’s indigenous defence capability, is under severe scrutiny after the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) uncovered a suspected supply-chain scandal involving counterfeit critical components, reported The Hindu.
Dhanush, envisioned as the successor to the Bofors 155 mm howitzer that played a decisive role during the Kargil War, became the subject of a criminal investigation when Delhi-based Sidh Sales Syndicate was accused of supplying counterfeit “Wire Race Roller Bearings.”
These parts, allegedly manufactured by Sino United Industries in Henan, China, were falsely certified as “Made in Germany” to meet procurement standards tied to reputed German supplier CRB.
CBI inquiries allege that officials at the Gun Carriage Factory (GCF), Jabalpur, failed to prevent the supply despite quality control red flags indicating dimensional flaws, raising suspicion of a criminal conspiracy involving forgery, cheating, and corruption.
The Ministry of Defence, following a preliminary probe, confirmed that the bearings supplied were of Chinese origin and not those specified under the purchase order, prompting the Ordnance Factory Board (OFB) to escalate the case to the CBI.
Former Minister of State for Defence Subhash Bhamre echoed that German-made CRB bearings had been contractually mandated. The exposure of fake imports in a system intended to embody self-reliant manufacturing has called into question the integrity of the OFB’s vendor base, its oversight mechanisms, and the broader reliance on private supply chains for mission-critical defence hardware.
This scandal has intensified concerns around India’s artillery modernisation roadmap. The Army’s parallel Sharang upgrade program, converting legacy 130 mm M-46 guns into 155 mm systems to bridge capability gaps until Dhanush and ATAGS fully enter service, is also under the scanner. Reports of poor quality control and reliability issues in upgraded Sharang units have compounded doubts about whether stop-gap measures are proving more problematic than effective for operational readiness.
The Comptroller and Auditor General’s (CAG) Report No. 6 of 2023 added further weight to these concerns, sharply criticising the delays in delivering both upgraded guns and indigenous artillery systems.
The CAG warned that the prolonged delays were impairing operational preparedness and highlighted systemic inefficiencies in defence production and procurement. The twin setbacks — the CBI’s ongoing fraud probe and the CAG’s audit findings — cast a shadow over India’s artillery modernisation and raise persistent questions over whether the pace of indigenous programs matches the Army’s battlefield needs.
Defence analysts argue that the Dhanush probe does not represent an isolated supply-chain lapse but points to deeply rooted structural flaws in India’s defence manufacturing ecosystem, including lax accountability, poor quality control, reliance on suspect vendors, and lack of enforced traceability in imported sub-assemblies.
The controversy has come at a sensitive time as India aspires to reach its defence-export targets and project credibility in indigenous programs like ATAGS, Mounted Gun Systems, and the upcoming howitzer derivatives for international buyers.
The Ministry of Defence now faces pressure to restore confidence by enforcing stricter component vetting, strengthening Public–Private integration without compromising integrity, and ensuring accountability in oversight institutions like the OFB’s successor entities under corporatisation.
Unless corrective systemic reforms are swiftly undertaken, the Dhanush scandal risks not just tarnishing the credibility of India’s flagship artillery asset, but also undermining New Delhi’s claim to being a rising defence exporter in the global market.
Based On The Hindu BL Report
