Finally, All Fired Up

Lt Gen. B.S. Pawar (retd)

In a major development, on 9 November 2019, in a special ceremony held at School of Artillery Devlali, the long awaited M777 A2 Ultra Light Howitzer (ULH) and the K9 Vajra Tracked Self Propelled (SP) Gun System were formally inducted into the Indian Army, the first modern artillery guns since the induction of 400 pieces of the Bofors 155mm/39 calibre FH-77B in the mid-Eighties from Sweden.

After two decades of stagnation, the Indian Artillery’s modernisation and transformation finally seems to be moving ahead. The success of the indigenously developed 155mm 45 calibre Dhanush gun (upgraded version of the Bofors) and reports of the indigenously developed Advanced Towed Artillery Gun System (ATAGS) achieving 40 km plus range during test firing last year, are very positive signs indeed. This augurs well not only for the artillery modernisation process itself, but also for the indigenous capability to develop state-of-the-art modern howitzer systems.

Simultaneously, there has also been a major progress in the Artillery’s Surveillance, Target Acquisition and Retaliatory Capabilities along with great strides made in the field of rockets and missiles. A major concern though remains the sordid state of ammunition both in quantity and quality, the main weapon of the Gunners, without which even the most advanced gun systems would remain mere showpieces. The recent decision of the government to partially open this critical sector to the private industry is a step in the right direction and needs to be pursued on priority.

Future Artillery Rationalisation Plan (FARP)

The Army’s FARP was formulated in 1999, with the basic aim to modernise, rationalise and standardise the artillery gun systems to a calibre of 155mm, in order to achieve greater ranges and commonality of ammunition. The plan included the purchase and manufacture of towed, mounted and ultra-light howitzers, including self propelled (both tracked and wheeled), multi-barrel rocket launcher (MBRL) systems, missiles, surveillance and counter bombardment equipment and the Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) – as per latest reports the UAVs have now gone under the command and control of Army Aviation Corps.

The main highlight of FARP was the inclusion of the mounted gun system (MGS) and wheeled SP artillery platforms. The MGS provides a high level of autonomy with a shoot and skoot capability and has a distinct advantage in the mountains due to its shorter turning radius compared to the towed gun. The wheeled SP gun is ideally suited for the plains and the semi desert terrain vis-a-vis the tracked version, providing better speed and mobility at lesser costs – this project, however, has now been shelved and is not expected to be revived in the future. The transformation related to rocket artillery (Smerch & Pinaka), missiles (Prithvi, Agni and Brahmos) and surveillance equipment (UAVs and Weapon Locating Radar) is progressing satisfactorily. It is heartening to note though that six additional Pinaka MBRL units and one additional Smerch MBRL unit have been approved for induction by the government. Simultaneously, the induction of roughly 2820 guns/ howitzers of all types is making significant movement forward.

Current Status and Developments

The Dhanush gun being produced by the Ordnance Factory Board (OFB) has undergone extensive user exploitation trials in the desert and high altitude. The Dhanush has almost 80 per cent indigenous content with only the power pack and parts of electronic suite being imported — this gun has been able to achieve ranges up to 38 km. Indent has been placed on the OFB by the defence ministry for 114 Dhanush Howitzers and orders for more numbers (300) could follow based on the performance of the gun. Six guns have already been inducted into the artillery and the balance are expected to be inducted over the next four