The Indian Army has continued placing its forces along the entire frontier amid no de-escalation from China which includes machinery like the M-777 ultra-light Howitzer, older 105mm filed guns, Bofors, and other rocket systems, Times of India reported.
This will also give a chance to the Indian Army to test the transportation of certain machinery. The M-777 Howitzer can be airlifted via Chinook helicopters while the heavier artillery is being transported via roads developed by the Belt and Road Organization (BRO).
Primarily meant for the China standoff, the M777 ultra-light Howitzer has a strike range of 30-km. About half of the 145 guns ordered to the US for Rs 5,000 crore have been received with the rest coming in the near future. Three M777 regiments have been delivered deployed along the Line of Actual Control with China.
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Furthermore, the army is also evaluating whether the self-propelled tracked guns K-9 Vajra, which were procured for operations in plain and desert areas, can be used on mountains as well. Director General (Artillery) LT General TK Chawla said that the Army is still considering buying more K-9 guns if needed.
Earlier, the Army had inducted 100 of 155mm/52 calibre guns with a range of 28-30 km under a joint project of L&T and South Korean Hanwha Defence.
However, there is little progress in the indigenously developed Dhanush Howitzer and the 155mm/52 calibre Advanced Towed Artillery Gun Systems (ATAGS). The Army had earlier placed an order for 114 Dhanush Howitzer guns for Rs 1,260 crore from the Ordnance Factory Board (OFB). Meanwhile, the Army needs as many as 1,580 of the ATAGS.
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LT General TK Chawla acknowledged that due to the BRO initiative, deploying guns have been made possible.
“As the BRO further takes the road network to forward areas, we will be able to deploy our guns in more locations,” said director general (artillery) Lt-General T K Chawla, a day ahead of the Gunners’ Day on Tuesday.
“A lot of handholding has been done by the Army, both for ATAGS and Dhanush. We want the indigenous efforts to succeed. There are major advantages in having indigenous systems and not being dependent on foreign technologies,” he added.
