India agrees $560 million US artillery deal

(New Delhi) – India has agreed a $560-million deal to buy 145 howitzer guns from BAE Systems of the United States as it upgrades its antiquated military hardware, an official said.
Indian government will spend 30 billion rupees ($560 million) on the field guns, the official said. The howitzers, with a maximum range of 30 kilometres, will be used by the army’s mountain artillery divisions along India’s high-altitude frontiers.
The purchase marks the first time in more than a quarter of a century that India is buying howitzers.