Singh

New Delhi, Jan. 13: The row over the de-freezing of alleged middleman Ottavio Quattrocchi’s accounts will not come in the way of the army choosing the Bofors Howitzer for its artillery upgrade project.

Army chief General Joginder Jaswant Singh said here today that the army will choose the gun that best suits its purpose.

The Bofors 155mm/52 calibre Howitzer is in the running for a multi-million dollar Indian artillery upgrade order. The competition to bag the order has seen several global arms manufacturers in the fray but after the South African company Denel was blacklisted because of corruption charges, Bofors’s chances have vastly improved. Also in competition is Soltam of Israel.

In successive summer and winter trials for towed and self-propelled artillery guns held over the past two years, the Howitzer has fared creditably.

The Bofors 155 mm guns were inducted in the army 18 years ago and served with distinction in the 1999 Kargil war but allegations that the Swedish company paid kickbacks to win the contract in 1986 saw the firm blacklisted.

The controversy has resurfaced now with different arms of the government contradicting each other on the de-freezing of the alleged Italian middleman’s Rs 21-crore account.

Bofors was stigmatised since the allegation of a Rs 64-crore kickback in 1986 but Denel, too, is practically out of the race.

“The artillery profile we have planned for ourselves will be primarily based on the 155mm/52 calibre weapon,” General Singh said.

“By 2006, we would have finished all the trials in high altitude and in the desert and in extreme climatic conditions. By 2007, we hope to be ready to induct the weapons.”

Asked if the army’s judgement on the gun for itself will depend on perceptions of one or the other company, General Singh said: “We are trying out gun systems based on parameters we had set out. We will choose the gun that we think suits us best. The rest will be up to the government. We will accept the decision of the government.”