NEW DELHI: India inked a $737 million deal on Wednesday for the acquisition of 145 ‘M-777 ultra-light howitzers’ from the United States. Indian Prime MinisterNarendraModi-led Cabinet Committee on Security had cleared the deal for the acquisition of the first modern 155mm howitzers in over 30 years. The contractwill also further consolidate the position of the US as one of the largest arms suppliers to India – having inked deals worth over $15 billion since 2007. Of the 145 howitzers, to be delivered from mid-2017 onwards, 120 will be ‘assembled, integrated and tested’ in India with artillery manufacturer selecting Mahindra as its Indian business partner.