Modern artillery may give a boost to army’s firepower

New Delhi, Sept 5: After an almost 26-year wait, the Indian Ar my may finally lay its hands on what are being touted as moder n artillery guns developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation.

The ar my will get 40 selfpropelled guns (SPG), recently developed by the Chennai-based Central Vehicle Research and Development Establishment of DRDO, worth R820 crore to meet the force's requirements, sources said.

Though these 130-mm guns will not be a substitute to the aging Bofors received from Sweden in 1986, or the ultra-light Howitzers, they will help bolster the force's firepower.

The gun's system, called in artillery ter minology a “catapult”, comprises a 130mm gun mounted on a main battle tank (MBT) — in this case, the chassis of the DRDO-developed Arjun tank — allowing it to keep up with tank columns and provide them support in battle. “Catapult is mainly used to engage in indirect fire. Its targets are enemy artillery units, tanks, troops at their concentration areas, per manent defensive installations and other field fortifications,” said an officer. “The gun has an indirect firing range of 27.4 km, and direct firing range of 1.4 km. It can be fired at various angles of elevation as well. But, it is surely not a substitute to high-end artillery like Howitzers,” an officer said.

Sources said the ar my's 220 artillery regiments have received no new artillery since the 1980s, when the FH77B, 155-mm/39-calibre Bofors were bought from Sweden. However, after allegations of kickbacks, only 400 Bofors guns were delivered and rest of the contract annulled.

But, the Ordnance Factory Board’s effort to build a 155-mm/45-calibre indigenous gun is facing trouble after the gun barrel was burst during its trials. The procurement of 145 M777 UltraLight Howitzers through the the US Gover nment also stands cancelled due to cost issues and because the ven- dor's proposal is not fully compliant to the offset requirements, the defence ministry claims.

The defence ministry has already put in place a R35,000- crore plan to moder nise artillery.

In the long run, the ar med forces could provide orders worth over R1.5 lakh crore to domestic companies. Already, Tata Power Strategic Electronics Division, L&T and Bharat Forge are engaged in developing prototype of this gun so that they can get into production of these advanced guns after approval by the end-user, which is the ar my in this case. The Modi-led gover nment has also cleared more support to the DRDO-developed Arjun tank by renewing a R6,600- crore clearance for 118 Arjun Mark II tanks. This will equip two ar my tank regiments, adding to an earlier order for 124 Arjun Mark I tanks.