A number of African nations have expressed interest in the Dhanush, a 155 mm artillery system developed and manufactured in India, a development that points to broader demand for the country's domestically produced defence hardware. The interest emerged following the Africa Aerospace and Defence 2026 exhibition, where the Dhanush howitzer was displayed by Advanced Weapons and Equipment India Limited (AWEIL) alongside several other military platforms.
Trade publications tracking the defence sector reported that armed forces representatives from several African countries held early-stage talks around a possible purchase of the artillery platform. AWEIL is pursuing Africa-focused growth through collaborative partnerships rather than direct export transactions as the primary route to market.
Plans under consideration at the firm include local assembly work, component manufacturing, technology transfer, and joint production arrangements with partners based across Africa. Among the nations identified for potential defence manufacturing partnerships, South Africa was noted for its existing industrial base in that sector.
The Dhanush artillery gun has been inducted into service with the Indian Army and stands among the outcomes of the country's broader push toward domestically developed defence equipment. Production of the howitzer takes place at Jabalpur's Gun Carriage Factory, with locally sourced components accounting for more than four-fifths of the weapon's total composition.
Built on the original Bofors platform, the artillery system has undergone a series of modifications covering its fire-control electronics, navigational equipment, and overall ballistic output. Chambered at 155 mm with a 45-calibre barrel, the artillery piece is configured to perform across varied terrain — from arid flats and semi-desert scrubland to mountain passes and open battlefield environments.
Armed forces seeking to modernise their artillery without the procurement costs associated with more expensive alternatives have been cited as finding the system's combination of speed and targeting precision a basis for considering adoption. Delegates from African militaries who attended the exhibition conveyed a broadly favourable reaction to AWEIL representatives.
Nations with a potential procurement interest are anticipated to receive invitations to attend live-fire trials, where the weapon's battlefield performance and technical output can be assessed. Of the 114 Dhanush artillery pieces placed under contract by the Indian Army, upwards of 70 units had been handed over at the current stage of fulfilment, with units still in production anticipated to complete the outstanding contract requirements.
The programme's opening phase was marked by setbacks in output consistency and production timelines. Tighter tolerances in the production line, alongside design revisions and more rigorous assembly-stage checks, gradually brought the programme back onto stable ground and restored confidence in the weapon system's reliability.
Plans for procuring roughly 300 additional Dhanush howitzers have received official authorisation, a step that would expand the Army's artillery holdings. Those plans point toward the formation of multiple new artillery regiments, with additional firepower distributed across a range of front-line operational zones.
Industry projections place the potential value of such a contract at several thousand crore rupees, a figure that would rank it among the larger domestic artillery acquisitions of recent years. African nations stand to gain access to a field-tested artillery system through the Dhanush, with growing domestic manufacturing capacity and the prospect of joint industrial arrangements forming part of its appeal to potential buyers.
Commercial activity at the Africa Aerospace and Defence exhibition reflected a wider effort by India to establish a position among arms-exporting nations and to develop technology ties with defence markets across the developing world.
