Oto Melara all set to participate in Indian Navy’s large calibre gun tender

Finmeccanica company Oto Melara is looking for a greater share of the Indian naval, land and defence market and is eyeing the larger calibre gun segment besides the unmanned turret for the armoured vehicles. Addressing a press conference at Defexpo, Oto Melara officials stated that the company will participate in a tender for the supply of a large calibre gun to be installed on board the new Indian Navy vessels. The gun is a state-ofthe- art system deploying advanced technologies in the field of naval artilleries, including capability to fire the extended range Vulcano guided ammunition with a range of over 100 km. The supply would also include transfer of technology (ToT) on the lines of its collaboration with the Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL) for manufacture of the 76/62 SR naval gun. The company has showcased its 127/64 LW large calibre gun at the show.

At Defexpo, the company is also highlighting on the 30mm OWS unmanned turret suitable for installation on armoured infantry combat vehicles because of is reduced weight and no penetration inside the hull. The turret is fit for installation of two anti-tank ground missiles (ATGM). Oto Melara has already tied up with Pipavav which involves ToT to India, if the turret is selected by the Indian Ministry of Defence (MoD).

The company has also developed a new family of Vulcano long-range guided ammunition for naval (127mm) and land (155mm) applications. For the Indian Army’s requirement for armoured vehicle requirements, Oto Melara and Iveco (CIO) are promoting the Centauro Armoured Infantry Vehicle “Freccia” and the Centauro 120mm light tank.

Giving a presentation of the Oto Melara products on offer to the Indian defence forces during the show, Ulderigo Rossi, Senior Vice President, Marketing and Sales, Oto Melara, said, “We can tailor make our products according to the Indian requirement.”