With the nation continuing to face the possibility of a two-front war – Western and Northern – with no let-up in the tension along these two fronts, it does become imperative to strengthen the artillery which is an important arm of modern day warfare and this assumes significance as the nation recalls that tomorrow is the 196th Gunners Day.
Keeping in view the prevailing border situation, the Indian Army continues to modernize at a fairly rapid pace boosting its firepower capabilities and also manoeuvrability. At present Indian Army is equipped with a wide range of weapons such as Guns, Mortars, Rockets and Missiles.
The surveillance devices are a part of the Surveillance and Target Acquisition (SATA) Regiments. Reports indicate that more UAVs have been and are being acquired, and placed under the Aviation Arm of the Indian Army. In any case the surveillance centres are still under Artillery, and that UAV pilots are being moved now to Aviation. Nonetheless, being state of the art weaponry, it would take some time for a comprehensive handing over of the device.
With a view to open an alternative avenue for procurement of the 155mm gun system, OFB has, in recent times, been given the opportunity to develop the gun indigenously in keeping with the long term aim of achieving self-reliance. The private sector is being extensively urged to source components and sub-systems for this. The initial trials had caused barrel bursts during firing but improved metallurgy should help get over the problem. In the long term, it should be possible to meet the 155mm gun requirement.
Since 1827, Indian Artillery has found a befitting mention in the glorious saga of valour and professionalism. Gunners have been at the forefront of every major campaign, and their contribution to the success of operations have been echoed by one and all. The Regiment of Artillery is a combat/fighting arm of the Indian Army, which provides massive firepower during all ground operations of the Indian Army. It is a successor to the Royal Indian Artillery (RIA) of British Indian Army, which itself traces its origins to the formation of Bombay Artillery in 1827. Today, it is the second-largest arm of the Indian Army, and with its guns, mortars, rocket launchers, unmanned aerial vehicles, surveillance systems, missiles and artillery firepower. It constitutes almost one-sixth of its total strength.
To commemorate the 196th Gunners Day, Agnibaaz Division is conducting an outreach programme connecting the veteran gunners across 36 districts of Maharashtra at 14 major destinations namely Nanded, Yavatmal, Nagpur, Amravati, Jalgaon, Nashik, Aurangabad, Ahmednagar, Pune, Satara, Kolhapur, Belgaum, Sangli and Solapur by two different teams covering the Northern and the Southern districts. Commander Sure Swift Strikers Brigade, Iit the flame of the torch and flagged off the two teams from Aurangabad on September 17.
The outreach rally will culminate in a mega event at Aurangabad on September 28 after eleven days wherein the two teams will reach out to veterans and enquire about their grievances and requirements if any. The rally will go a long way in further strengthening the bonds with the veterans, assuring them that the nation and the Indian Army will always be indebted to their services.
With barely much acquisition for strengthening Indian Artillery since 1987 when 410 pieces of 39-calibre 155mm FH-77B howitzers were acquired from Sweden’s AB Bofors. The contract was embroiled in issues of corruption and alleged malpractices which prevented all efforts for modernization of Artillery. This lead to large voids in fire power of the Indian Army. The alarming state of voids resulted in the evolvement of Field Artillery Rationalization Plan (FARP) in 2000 As part of FARP, 155mm calibre was made the standard gun system for Indian Artillery. Accordingly, ‘Artillery Profile’ was conceived and promulgated with emphasis on ‘Mediumisation’ of Artillery. The plans were rather ambitious and involved the acquisition of about 3000 plus guns by 2025 at an estimated cost of $8 billion. These include 1,580 towed gun systems (TGS), 814 mounted gun systems (MGS), 100 self-propelled howitzers (SPHs) and 145 BAE Systems M777 155 mm/39 calibre lightweight howitzers for the mountains. Except for M777, all other gun systems were of 155mm/52 calibre or 45 calibre. Locally upgraded and retrofitted guns will make up additional numbers.
Extending his congratulations to the Indian Army and the Regiment of Artillery on the occasion of the 196th Gunners Day, Ravi Nirgudkar, Managing Director, India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh BAE Systems said “As a founding partner of defence manufacturing in India, BAE Systems takes immense pride in having a seven-decade long association with India and the Indian Armed Forces.
We are also privileged to work in close collaboration with the Indian Army to support their artillery modernization with our M777 ultra-lightweight howitzers. With minimal logistical support and maximum reliability, M777 provides the Indian Army with exceptional tactical and strategic mobility.”
“As India moves forward towards greater self-reliance in defence, BAE Systems is committed to helping modernise India’s defence capabilities with its cutting-edge, industry-leading technologies in alignment with our “Co-creating for a Self-Reliant India” strategy,” Nirgudkar said.
The importance and the key role of artillery in modern warfare is amply borne out by what top army commanders and other leaders have said about. Even a communist leader like Josef Stalin said “Artillery is the God of War,” while the famous French Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte said “Great Battles are Won with Artillery,” and Winston Churchill on artillery said “Renown awaits the Commander who first restores Artillery to its prime importance on the Battlefield.”
– The writer is a senior journalist and media consultant. The views expressed are of the writer and do not necessarily reflect the views of Raksha Anirveda
