Indian Army Artillery

[Shaitan]

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[Kunal Biswas]

Exercise Shatrujeet ..

 

[ezsasa]

Fundamental question:

If IA wants to make it rain before troops dominate an area and keeping SFC and airforce out of the equation, the maximum distance a battalion level command can dominate is 60 km I.e the range of Pinaka.

Is my assumption correct?

 

[Shaitan]

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[harsh]

DRDO plans to revive Self-Propelled Artillery ” BHIM Howitzer” Project

After been in Cold Storage for more than a decade , DRDO now plans to revive 155m 52 Calibre Self-Propelled Artillery Gun mounted on Arjun MBT derivative chassis soon said a well-informed source close to idrw.org . BHIM Project had cleared all Indian Army user trials before South African state-owned Company Denel was blacklisted amid corruption charges which had co-developed BHIM with DRDO and had also provided its 155mm / L52 howitzer Gun for the project.

DRDO has not officially explained how it plans to source the new gun but many Industrial experts believe that DRDO fight source new Gun neither from Kalyani or use modified derivative Gun from in-house Advanced Towed Artillery Gun System (ATAGS) project currently been developed with partnership with Kalyani and TATA .

The vehicle is equipped with 1400 hp power pack and state-of-the-art hydro-gas suspension. BHIM was appreciated by Indian Army for its High mobility and exceptional ballistics coming together with comprehensive subsystems making BHIM one of the finest 155mm 52 Calibre Self-Propelled Artillery Gun which was one step from entering Production .

Indian Army due to uncertainty in ‘Bhim’ howitzer project went for International tender and now is in the process to place orders for K9 Vajra-T, the 155-mm/52-caliber self-propelled howitzer artillery gun co-developed by Larsen & Toubro (L&T) and Samsung Techwin.

Indian Army plans to procure 100 K9 Vajra-T likely to be followed up with the purchase of additional 50 more K9 Vajra-T at a later stage but Army requirement might be for over 500 such howitzer artillery gun which might have prompted DRDO to bring the focus back to BHIM Project.

 

[Kunal Biswas]

============

I had a nice opportunity to talk with this nice gentleman, He told that there are plans to renew Bhim project but completely Indian, The Gun would be made by ARDE and have green light from MOD also ..

But regarding Catapult, It will remain in 130mm ..

From : 2012 Defexpo At Delhi .

 

[Kunal Biswas]

Test Vehicle for new designs ..

 

[porky_kicker]

any news on the next new version of pinaka ie 100-120 km range version

 

[Kunal Biswas]

Kalyani Upgrade Of 105MM IFG.

Commendable work done by genius of Kalyani, The Gun is almost brand new system after the upgrade, It not only lighten the whole system by a large margin but also added much needed electronic fire-control, Such improvement will make it more independent in providing fire-support as a platform itself and not part of a battery to do the same task ..

 

[garg_bharat]

A natural question is if defective Bofors guns have been returned to service. It is logical because development of Dhanush is based on original Bofors but contains gun laying mechanism from local source. Heard that most defects were due to electronics failing.

 

[Anupu]

I just want to know if we have a 30 or 40 mm gun program. It is used by IAF, IN and IA. It seems to me it would make the most sense to focus on it.

 

[Kunal Biswas]

Their is no official word on it, But their was a report long back that older guns were upgraded to 45cals ..

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Bofors L70 is used by Army and Navy use 30mm crn-91 weapon system ..

A natural question is if defective Bofors guns have been returned to service. It is logical because development of Dhanush is based on original Bofors but contains gun laying mechanism from local source. Heard that most defects were due to electronics failing.

I just want to know if we have a 30 or 40 mm gun program. It is used by IAF, IN and IA. It seems to me it would make the most sense to focus on it.

 

[Anupu]

Their is no official word on it, But their was a report long back that older guns were upgraded to 45cals ..

===============

Bofors L70 is used by Army and Navy use 30mm crn-91 weapon system ..

Bad... ask baba kalyani to make a new one . I am sure there is demand for it in the forces.

 

[Kunal Biswas]

Baba got guns, But not AAA ..

L70 is getting upgraded by L&T and TATA ..

Bad... ask baba kalyani to make a new one . I am sure there is demand for it in the forces.

 

[garg_bharat]

I asked about Bofors 155/39 howitzers.

The air defence guns is another topic.

I heard that most howitzers were removed from service due to failure of electronics.

It is logical that such parts can be replaced now.

 

[Lions Of Punjab]

As India gears up to import 145 M777 Guns From the US, Kalyani Group Readies Equivalent Option At Much Lesser Price



The most worrying operational void of field artillery guns to support the Indian Army in battle is finally being addressed. As India gears up to import the M777 Howitzers or the Ultra-Light Howitzers (ULHs) produced by the US based BAE Systems under the reported $750 million deal, a strong price competition is brewing back home–with the Kalyani group led by Baba Kalyani all set to offer similar ULHs at a significantly lower price than the imported price of a ULH.

According to sources, a high level review meeting of India’s artillery gun projects was held early this week along with moving ahead with the plan to Purchase 145 M777 Ultra-Light Howitzers produced by BAE Systems under the ‘Make In India’ program.

Sources said the review of high budget artillery projects was carried out in the presence of Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar. “All big artillery projects were discussed along with the purchase of M777 howitzers or ULH to modernise and enhanced the capability of Indian Armed forces,” sources said.





Back home, the Kalyani group had recently at the DefExpo 2016 exhibited the first prototype system–the Bharat Ultra-Light Howitzer that couldpose direct competition against the M777 Howitzers, made out of Titanium.

Bharat Ultra-Light Howitzer has been developed using light weight exotic materials like Titanium and Aluminium based alloys. The company also has a system ready for testing before the end of this year.

Asked to comment, Parrikar told this website that all indigenous manufacturers who offer such price advantage and have competitive products to offer will be spoken to by him.

“The purchase of M777 howitzers is a matter of time and negotiations in this regard are going on….the matter was also discussed between Parrikar and the visiting US defence secretary, Ashton Carter on April 12,” sources said.

Asked to comment, a senior official said, “Talks to import 145 M777 is on since 2012 with the US. Discussions were revived last year with the inclusion of the Make in India bit…we have progressed on the price front as the manufacturer has been seeking a hike on the initial price quoted of 2012.”

It has been reported that the price quoted by the US in 2012 was $694 million and BAE –the manufacturer has been seeking 10% hike on the four-year-old price. Reports have pegged the deal for these 145 ultra-light howitzers at around $750 million.

BAE Systems has already announced a tie up with Mahindra as its business partner for its proposed in-country assembly, integration and test (AIT) facility for the M777 Howitzer. The gun will come with laser inertial artillery pointing systems (LINAPS), maintenance, personnel training and training equipment, technical assistance, engineering and logistics support services.

However, with the passage of the finance bill 2016 in the Lok Sabha on March 5, the clause on re-imposing the customs duty of 28.7% stands ratified and would turn the $750 million deal somewhat costlier (although the exchequer will stand to gain from this customs duty).

Whether the proposed $750 million deal will progress as planned or face delays in the aftermath of the ongoing controversy surrounding the purchase of VVIP helicopters from AgustaWestlands by the erstwhile UPA government, remains to be seen.

The M777 Ultra Light Howitzers

M777 is a 155mm 39 caliber towed gun which, through proven technology and the innovative use of titanium and aluminum alloys, meets the requirement for rapidly deployable and accurate artillery fire support.
· M777 is the world’s first 155mm Howitzer weighing less than 10000 lbs (4218 kg).
· Highly mobile on land, at sea and in the air, the M777 has increased survivability through:
· Unsurpassed tactical & strategic mobility, Low thermal & radar signature, Rapid emplacement / displacement, Low silhouette

http://defenceaviationpost.com/indi...-readies-equivalent-option-much-lesser-price/

 

[WolfPack86]

I am pleased to tell you that the Dhanush trial has been successfully done in the desert. There will be one more final desert trial and even a cold weather trial. By the year-end we will start manufacturing the gun, which will be better than Bofors. The original technology was transferred from Bofors but we have indigenously developed it and the Ordnance Factory Board, Kanpur and Jabalpur, will manufacture it. By August or September we will finalise an order for Vajra (self-propelled Howitzer gun) to the private sector. First time in 36 years, decisions on guns, tanks and aircrafts are being taken in the ministry.
http://indianexpress.com/article/in...defence-minister-defence-procurement-2815916/

 

[Indx TechStyle]

Army to subject desi howitzers to further tests

Nagpur: Further proving awaits the indigenous 155mm gun (howitzer) before finally being inducted into Indian Army. After Jabalpur-based Gun Carriage Factory (GCF), dispatched the first batch of three guns to the Army, certain issues seem to have cropped up during the test firing held over a month ago. Sources said there were problems in the loading system that the army wanted addressed. With the changes done, the batch was once again sent to the army from GCF on Wednesday. A senior official in the GCF said the guns would now be put to user exploitation test to be conducted by the Army alone. Only after that they will finally be accepted. The Army will be initially taking six guns from the GCF. If pieces meet army's expectation, a bulk production contract of 114 will be given. So far the army has only given an in-principle approval for 114 guns to be made by the GCF. The next batch of three guns is expected to be sent in a couple of months, sources said. Several hiccups delayed the induction of the indigenous howitzers. It was planned to dispatch the first batch by November last year, but was finally sent over a month ago. Even earlier, the army had suggested certain changes in the guns that delayed the process. The guns were sent back to the factory after the test firing held over a month ago. In 2013, indigenisation process took a major setback when barrel of the gun exploded during the test fire. It set the entire process back by a year. Another round of trials took place and the guns were finally passed but minor issues continued to crop up, said a source. Sources in the GCF said the issues with loading system were minor and had been addressed. The factory took up indigenisation work in 2011 after the attempts to buy new guns from the global market failed. The factory had the designs of Bofors guns procured from Sweden in 1984. These were used as a base to develop an indigenous weapon system. As against the 155x39 mm calibre original Bofors guns, the GCF came up with a bigger 155x45 mm version. The army needs to replenish its artillery systems as the existing lot procured from Sweden is aging.

 

[Indx TechStyle]

Final trials of home-grown artillery gun start this month

Dhanush gun on display in Delhi. photo: Manas Ranjan Bhui
Ajay Banerjee
Tribune News Service
New Delhi, June 3

The final trials of indigenous artillery gun Dhanush will start this month. Spread over the next six months, these trials will be of a production-level prototype. This is supposed to be the last lap of trials before the Ordnance Factory Board starts it bulk production.

The Army will use six such guns at various locations to test its firing ability during summers and also in the winters in the Himalayas.

Dhanush 155 MM/45 calibre gun is based on the 1980’s Bofors FH-77B/39 Calibre artillery gun design and aided by the transfer of technology (ToT) clause signed in the 1980’s with the Swedish company. The OFB, an organisation under the Ministry of Defence, first unveiled the Indian version of the gun in February 2014 and hand it over to the Army for intensive tests. These were successfully conducted.

The first three guns of the production-level prototype will undergo four-month trial from June to September. Between October and December, three other guns will be added and the entire lot will be tested in high altitude winter conditions.

The MoD has set a stiff delivery schedule. The first 18 guns will be delivered in 18 months after the signing of contract. Another 36 guns are slated for delivery over the 12 months thereafter. The remaining 60 guns will be delivered by June 2020.

The Indian version has several improvements to make Dhanush compatible with today’s modern communication techniques. It has an effective range of 38 km as against the 27-km range of the original Bofors. It has a system to auto-correct any variations in ammunition and atmospheric pressures. The gunner has a high resolution sight besides an infrared sight. Its electronics suite enables real-time adjustments for moving and static targets. The Army’s Field Artillery Rationalization Plan, drawn in 1999, aims to acquire 2,800-3,000 155 mm/52-calibre guns of all kinds and 155 mm/39-calibre lightweight howitzers by 2027.

The next batch of Dhanush will be in line with this target and its barrel for the next batch will be 52 calibre.

 

[Hari Sud]

Too many trials.

Indian Army searching for defects so that they can reject it. The whole idea is to force GOI to import.