http://www.hindustantimes.com/india...ys-on-track/story-v43AJqg6JLlGnWLadyPQoM.html
The 155mm 39-calibre howitzers are being inducted to increase the Army’s capabilities in high altitudes, and will be deployed in the country’s northern and eastern sectors.
india Updated: Dec 16, 2017 12:53 IST
The gun was partly damaged when a 155mm artillery round misfired and exploded in its barrel during a drill at Rajasthan’s Pokhran firing ranges. The weapon, manufactured by BAE Systems, was one of the two howitzers that arrived in New Delhi this May as part of a Rs 5,000-crore contract in November 2016. It is a key component of the Army’s field artillery rationalisation plan (FARP), cleared in 1999.
India has ordered 145 howitzers to raise seven new regiments.The deal is part of the Army’s Rs 50,000-crore FARP, which seeks to equip 169 artillery regiments with a mix of nearly 3,000 guns over the next decade.
The indigenously developed 155mm 45-calibre Dhanush towed artillery gun also suffered mishaps during the trials. Here, 155mm denotes the diameter of the shell and calibre relates to the barrel length.
The Army plans to buy 114 guns in the first phase and eventually induct 414 systems at a cost of over Rs 4,500 crore.
“Artillery modernisation is very much on course, despite a few glitches in firing Dhanush.While this will lead to delays, some outreach has been done for specialised agencies to identify the problems and rectify them for further trials,” said former Army vice-chief Lieutenant General AS Lamba, who was commissioned into the artillery.
The remaining 120 howitzers will be manufactured in the country under the government’s Make in India plan, in collaboration with Mahindra Defence.
The 155mm 39-calibre howitzers are being inducted to increase the Army’s capabilities in high altitudes, and will be deployed in the country’s northern and eastern sectors.
the Army’s expensive artillery upgrade plan, which has been moving at a slow pace. It lays the roadmap for inducting new 155mm weaponry, including tracked self-propelled guns, truck-mounted gun systems, towed artillery pieces and wheeled self-propelled guns.
“FARP has been put into place to a significant degree, and co-opted with the Army’s overall modernisation plans,” said Lamba.
Besides this, private sector defence major Larsen & Toubro (L&T) and South Korean firm Hanwha Techwin are in the process of executing a Rs 5,000-crore contract for supplying 100 K9 VAJRA-T tracked self-propelled guns to the force. The contract was signed on April 21.
To be produced at Talegaon near Pune, the 155mm 52-calibre guns are likely to be delivered by 2021. The K9 has a range of 40 km.
The Army also plans to induct 1,580 towed artillery guns at a cost of Rs 12,460 crore. A 155mm 52-calibre towed system jointly developed by L&T against a gun developed by Bharat Forge.
A senior army officer said the project was being scrutinised by an expert committee, and a fresh set of comparative trials was on the anvil.
“This programme needs to be put in place at the earliest because the timeframe for the production of Dhanush guns may be longer than anticipated,” Lamba said.
Truck-mounted guns are another key requirement.
However, the project has made little progress despite the defence ministry granting its ‘acceptance of necessity’ (AoN) to a Rs 15,750-crore plan for buying 814 systems of the kind in November 2014. The AoN for weapons is the first step towards making the proposed procurements. The AoN for the truck-mounted gun systems has expired and a fresh file will need to be moved to restart the process, said another officer tracking the project.
“Artillery modernisation continues to stagnate despite sustained efforts by the Army and defence ministry,” said Brigadier Gurmeet Kanwal (retd), a military affairs expert and artillery veteran. “Since firepower will influence future battles in a more significant manner than ever before, fast-tracking it is critical.”
Kanwal said truck-mounted gun systems were vital for supporting offensive operations in semi-desert terrains.
The Army is also looking at inducting the indigenous 155mm 52-calibre Advanced Towed Artillery Gun System (ATAGS), jointly developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation and the private sector. The ATAGS is currently undergoing trials.
“Dhanush and ATAGS represent a significant leap in indigenisation, and will address the Army’s requirements for towed guns,” Kanwal said.
Upgrading existing weapons is as important as buying new ones. Three entities are also competing for a Rs 720-crore order to upgrade the Army’s vintage 130mm artillery guns to the 155mm standard.
This ‘up-gunning’ move will increase the gun’s range and ability to deliver heavier explosives.
A bunch of past projects were hit by single-vendor situations, which is a strict no-no under India’s arms purchase policy, and suppliers being banned for wrongdoings. “The Army is offering full support to the ATAGS and Dhanush projects to achieve self reliance in critical artillery systems,” said another senior officer.
INDIA HAS ordered 145 M777 ultra-light howitzers to increase army’s high-altitude capabilities
COST: Rs 5,000 cr.
L&T are executing a contract to supply 100 K9 VAJRA-T tracked self-propelled guns
COST: Rs 5,000 cr
THE ARMY also plans to induct 1,580 towed artillery guns, for which comparative trials are underway
COST: Rs 12,460 cr
814 truck-mounted gun systems to support offensive operations in semi-desert terrains.
COST: Rs 15,750 cr.
INDIA PLANS to induct 414 locally built Dhanush towed artillery guns.
COST: Rs 4,500 cr
THE ARMY’S vintage 130mm artillery guns are being upgraded to 155mm standard to increase their range and ability to deliver heavier explosives
COST: Rs 720 cr
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http://www.frontline.in/the-nation/new-artillery-thrust/article9921802.ece
THE indigenous weapons system Dhanush is a prong in the troika of 155 mm artillery guns that the Army hopes to induct over the next few years as it seeks to arm itself with multiple combat capabilities across the strategic, tactical and operational spheres. All three guns—Dhanush, the highly mobile U.S.-manufactured 155 mm .39 calibre M777 ultralight howitzer (the first two of the 145 on order, in a deal worth $750 million, arrived in May and are undergoing trials for the preparation of firing tables), and the 155 mm .52 calibre tracked self-propelled K-9 Vajra (Thunder) gun system (100 on order in a $700 million deal), which will be manufactured in India by Larsen & Toubro in collaboration with its Korean technology partner Hanwha Techwin—have ranges varying from 30 kilometres to 40 km. A significant number of the M777s will be assembled in India by BAE Systems in partnership with Mahindra Defence.
The howitzers are expected to increase the Army’s capabilities in high altitude and will be deployed in the northern and eastern sectors.
The Army is looking at acquiring more than 400 Dhanush guns. In addition to these
three new armaments, the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) is developing an ATAGS (advanced towed artillery gun system). It is a 155 mm .52 calibre 40-km target range gun towed by a truck. The gun has cleared engineering trials and will be assembled in collaboration with the Kalyani Group and Tata Power. Giving a fillip to India’s deterrent will be the long-range supersonic cruise missile BrahMos and the DRDO-designed and L&T-manufactured Pinaka rocket system.
As part of its 1999 Field Artillery Rationalisation Plan, the Army hopes to acquire 2,800 to 3,000, 155 mm .52 calibre towed, wheeled, tracked and mounted guns and 155 mm .39 calibre light-weight howitzers by 2027. The upgrading of the 130 mm M-46 field guns is also part of this exercise.
Ravi Sharma
