Indian Army Artillery

[porky_kicker]

Mobile MOTR

It is a scaled down version of MOTR (multi object tracking radar).

Mobile MOTR is to be used for Acquisition of short range targets.

i am posting it here because chances r like its big brother MOTR (version) which ended up in the 10,000 tonnes Project VC-11184 ship , it might similarly end up for defence application.

MOTR can detect and track a 50x50 cm object at a distance of 1000km so this should enable it to track ballistic missiles with a range of 4000-5000km albeit with necessary tweakings.

even Mobile MOTR will have a decent tracking range

chances r high that Mobile MOTR might be used to track the terminal phase of the different types of missiles under development/testing. maybe positioned along the coastline

also a version of this Mobile MOTR might end up in the 3900 Tonne DRDO Technology Demonstration Vessel (TDV) ship being built by CSL for the DRDO at its shipyard.

 

[Prashant12]

Trials of high capacity, indigenous, long-range 155mm gun at Pokhran

Jaisalmer: Artillery of Indian Army will soon get indigenous gun to deal with new challenges that it faces time and again from countries like China and Pakistan. India's first high capacity, indigenous, long range 155-mm gun and Dhanush's supplement gun ATAGS (Advanced Towed Artillery Gun System). Trials for it have started at Pokhran field firing range in Jaisalmer district, which will go on for 20 days. Firing table of the gun will be made during the trial.

The gun can fire up to 35-45km. Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO) has designed the gun which will be made under the joint project of private sector Kalyani Group and Ordnance Factories Board. Senior officers of the Indian Army and DRDO will be present during the trial. This gun's last trial was conducted in December 2016 at Balasore, Odisha.

According to defence sources, the trials of indigenous gun are being conducted at the Pokhran field firing range and targets at various distances are being attacked by the gun. The firing capacity is being checked and these guns are performing as per expectation. To strengthen the firing capacity of the Army, the ambitious gun is being checked and in the coming days, many senior officers of DRDO and Army will visit Jaisalmer.
It is to be mentioned that American 155 M777 Howitzer gun is being tested since June and the trials will continue till November. Similarly, trial of country's first indigenous gun Dhanush is also being done at Jaisalmer.
Sources said the shortage of 155-mm, 52-calibre artillery is widely considered the Indian Army's most worrying shortfall. Over the last 18 years, several international tenders for buying 1,580 towed guns from the international arms market have been stalled. Consequently, no new 155-mm guns have been given to the Army since the purchase of 410 Bofors Howitzers, 30 years ago. With the spectre of Bofors dogging international procurement, DRDO entrusted Pune-based Armament Research & Development Establishment (ARDE) with the ambitious ATAGS project to develop an indigenous towed gun. Sources said DRDO is developing 155 mm/52 Cal Advance Towed Artillery Gun System (ATAGS) that will upgrade the 155 mm/45 Cal Dhanush in the future. The Advanced Towed Artillery Gun System (ATAGS), India's first indigenous 155mm/52-caliber towed artillery gun, will be a joint project of two private-sector corporations. This is a reversal of the usual practice of giving only state-owned companies these kinds of pricey orders.
An official said that a prototype, with a range of 40-45kilometre, will also undergo trials for testing its abilities in different climates and terrains, along with range accuracy.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/...155mm-gun-at-pokhran/articleshow/60249472.cms

 

[F-14B]

I am happy in the fact that the Indian Army Artillery is now moving on and the boggy man that is the bofors has been laid to rest at least in the army

 

[Kunal Biswas]

War is overhead, Not a single unit of dhanush yet deployed ..

If War happen the poor gunners will move in with remaining FH-77 and few hundred upgraded M46 which are also deployed on western front also ..

 

[Bornubus]

A few units of Dhanush were in NE for trails sometimes back.

 

[tharun]

War is overhead, Not a single unit of dhanush yet deployed ..

If War happen the poor gunners will move in with remaining FH-77 and few hundred upgraded M46 which are also deployed on western front also ..

And our dear OFB will take 4-5 years to make those 414 guns.
We need mass production.Always OFB thinks of jobs protection.

 

[Kunal Biswas]

Alternatives, if you have in mind with respect to Dhanush production ?

And our dear OFB will take 4-5 years to make those 414 guns.
We need mass production.Always OFB thinks of jobs protection.

 

[tharun]

Alternatives, if you have in mind with respect to Dhanush production ?

No alternatives brother.........ATAGS still in trails and only god knows when will that clears production.
Here is the barrel forging it takes merely a day to forge a barrel...........

 

[Kunal Biswas]

Least you know, OFB does that in an hour the link is posted in this thread somewhere ..

The production of a new system takes time, OFB mostly does the assembly rather produce major parts all by itself, Once the order received by Army, OFB sends order of various parts of the gun to various L1 bidders, They supply them these parts in a period of time under strict quality checking only after that these things get produce as one ..

A factory making 1000 guns before will produce 200-500 guns per year or more, As their is steady supply of parts from already running smaller industries making them, Its not the case of Dhanush ..

If we had cleard this gun production back in 2014 as its happened now in 2017, We might have seen Dhanush operation, Hence my frustration with part of Army chaps who are delaying to kill Dhaush as well as ATAGS in time to come, Biggest challenge is the new government and its vision for these people ..

No alternatives brother.........ATAGS still in trails and only god knows when will that clears production.
Here is the barrel forging it takes merely a day to forge a barrel...........

 

[Kunal Biswas]

Some snaps of TATA Arty tractor ..

 

[Kunal Biswas]

Some snaps of A&L Arty tractor ..

 

[Prashant12]

Snag dogging Indian howitzer seen in original Bofors too


NAGPUR: Preliminary findings of the probe into the muzzle hit, a malfunction which has been dogging the Dhanush, Indian version of Bofors howitzers, say the incident was due to defect in the shell. During both test fires in May and July, a shell hit the gun's muzzle. There is a muzzle brake at the tip of the barrel, and the shell cannot fly to its full range if it hits this part.

The report submitted for the incident in May says that the muzzle hit took place due to premature explosion of the shell. This means, the defect has to be in the shell and not the gun's design, says sources having knowledge of the affair. Further investigation is continuing, with the final report yet to be put up. The snag has pushed back induction of the guns into the Army.

However, data accessed by TOI shows that as many as 40 incidents of muzzle hit have been reported even in the original Swedish Bofors. This took place after the Army had inducted the gun. The findings into these incidents blamed the shell for the malfunction.

The latest incident took place in February 2015. The findings say the incident can be attributed to 'old ammunition'. According to the data with TOI, around eight muzzle breach incidents took place in 2002 and 2003. A high number of incidents were seen in the Bofors guns during 2008 and 2009 too. In 2008, a barrel split into two pieces during training at the School of Artillery at Deolali, Maharashtra. This incident was attributed to premature explosion of the shell.
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In Dhanush, one case of barrel burst and two of muzzle hit have been reported. In 2013, the barrel burst during trials at Pokharan. This was followed by muzzle hit in May and June this year.
Dhanush is being made by the Gun Carriage Factory (GCF), Jabalpur, which comes under the Ordnance Factory Board (OFB). Reasons of the muzzle hit in the gun are being probed. Sources following the development say muzzle hit cases are not new in artillery guns.

Last week, an incident of barrel burst was reported in the K-9 Thunder guns, which India is buying from Korea. Two soldiers of the Korean army were killed in the incident. The Korean army has stopped training with this gun.

Data shows that the incident is also seen in guns of other makes, apart from 155mm howitzers like Bofors and Dhanush. Even in the 130mm guns with the Army, as many as 60 cases of muzzle hit have been reported.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/...-original-bofors-too/articleshow/60298344.cms

 

[Brij Ray]

Is this Ahok Leyland military vehicle developed and made in India?

 

[SanjeevM]

IA should get past these incidents and order Dhanush/ATAGS in bulk. We should prepare our defences, in case China does any surprise attack anywhere else.

Along with these guns we need large quantities of good quality ammunition to feed these guns. I believe there should be private sector participation in ammunition production as well. Last I heard was Reliance was getting into ammunition. We need more companies to produce quality ammunition.

 

[ezsasa]

Along with these guns we need large quantities of good quality ammunition to feed these guns. I believe there should be private sector participation in ammunition production as well. Last I heard was Reliance was getting into ammunition. We need more companies to produce quality ammunition.

There were pre-RFI issued for four types of ammunition last year exclusively for private Indian companies. By this time next year we should know the status of those procurement. Arty is not part of these 4.

anyways OFB does not manufacture all components of arty ammo. Private industry is already involved in manufacturing shells if I am not wrong, there might be few more components we don't know about.

 

[Prashant12]

BAE to join hands with ordnance factories to make mounted guns


Nagpur: After supplying the M777 ultralight howitzers to the Indian Army, multinational weapons maker BAE Systems will now be tying up with the Ordnance Factory Board (OFB) to make 155x52mm artillery guns. The OFB, which has already developed the Indian 155x45mm guns based on the Bofors howitzers, will make a superior version with BAE.

The first batch of the M777 guns was recently delivered to the Army from the US. Due to its light weight, it can be shifted easily and even transported by helicopter. Now BAE, OFB, and Bharat Earth Movers Limited (BEML) plan to together make the 155x52 calibre of guns.

The OFB has at present made Dhanush — the indigenous 155x45 mm howitzer with a higher range than the original Bofors. The new gun being planned to be made along with BAE Systems will have a superior range than even Dhanush, on account of the higher calibre.

A mounted gun, it will have faster mobility as against a conventional towed howitzer. The guns will be mounted on a Tatra vehicle. It is planned to make the prototype by March next year with user trials expected to being in a couple of years, say sources.

A memorandum of understanding will be signed between OFB, BAE Systems and BEML on Tuesday at Kolkata. The guns would be made at the Gun Carriage Factory (GCF), Jabalpur, where the Dhanush is also being manufactured.

The MoU will entail a knowledge sharing agreement. BAE will share know how with OFB. BEML will be providing the vehicle on which the gun will be mounted. The three will be working in tandem on the project, said sources.
Meanwhile, the OFB's Dhanush project has been facing several hiccups. Last month, CBI registered a case after one of the gun's spare parts, supplied by a private vendor from a Chinese manufacturer, was passed off as a made in Germany product. The agency has registered FIR against Sidh Sales, the Delhi-based private company and unknown officials of the OFB.

At the same time, a case of barrel burst was reported in Korean K9 Thunder guns, for which India has signed a deal. Two soldiers were killed in the incident.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/...illery-guns/articleshow/60266647.cms?from=mdr

 

[Vinod DX9]

Someone spotted this beast (FH-77B) near to his house

 

[Chinmoy]

Least you know, OFB does that in an hour the link is posted in this thread somewhere ..

The production of a new system takes time, OFB mostly does the assembly rather produce major parts all by itself, Once the order received by Army, OFB sends order of various parts of the gun to various L1 bidders, They supply them these parts in a period of time under strict quality checking only after that these things get produce as one ..

A factory making 1000 guns before will produce 200-500 guns per year or more, As their is steady supply of parts from already running smaller industries making them, Its not the case of Dhanush ..

If we had cleard this gun production back in 2014 as its happened now in 2017, We might have seen Dhanush operation, Hence my frustration with part of Army chaps who are delaying to kill Dhaush as well as ATAGS in time to come, Biggest challenge is the new government and its vision for these people ..

You forgot to add the test firing of each and every unit after assembly before getting inducted.
On top of that, we have QC from customer side.

 

[Prashant12]

World-record 'gun salute' to incoming defence minister Nirmala Sitharaman
Range, accuracy and consistency are the key attributes of an artillery gun


On Monday, in trial firing at the Pokhran Ranges in Rajasthan, the advanced towed artillery gun system (ATAGS) being indigenously developed for the Indian Army demonstrated its potential to be a world-beating system.

The 155-millimetre, 52-calibre gun-howitzer fired three shells out to a world-record distance of 47.2 kilometres from the gun position. This was achieved using special, long-range ammunition called “high explosive – base bleed” (HE – BB). In comparison, 155-millimetre, 52-calibre guns in service worldwide fire this ammunition to maximum ranges of 40-45 kilometres.

The achievement coincides with the appointment of Nirmala Sitharaman as defence minister.

The ATAGS is being developed by the Defence Research & Defence Organisation (DRDO) on two parallel tracks – one prototype in partnership with Tata Power (Strategic Engineering Division) and another with Bharat Forge. The prototype that broke the record was the Tata Power (SED) gun.

Earlier, on Saturday, the same gun had broken another record by firing “high explosive – boat tail” (HE – BT) ammunition to a range of 37.2 kilometres.

Range, accuracy and consistency are the key attributes of an artillery gun. A longer range allows more area to be engaged from a “gun position”, without having to redeploy (or shift) the guns.

The secret of the ATAGS longer range is its larger chamber – 25 litres, compared to 23 litres in most 155-millimetre guns like the French Nexter and Israeli Elbit guns the military has evaluated. A larger chamber packs in more high explosive propellant, which shoots out the warhead further.

The need to cater for this higher “shock of firing” makes the ATAGS a heavier gun. It weighs in at 17-18 tonnes, while comparable guns worldwide weigh 14-15 tonnes.

So promising is the ATAGS that both existing prototypes were paraded on January 26 in New Delhi.

After the gun successfully completes development and firing trials, the army is likely to procure at least 2,000 ATAGS. At an estimated Rs 15 crore apiece, that will result in Rs 30,000 crore in business for the production eco-system, benefiting a large number of private defence firms.

With the current round of “summer trials” having successfully concluded in Pokhran, the ATAGS will now undergo modifications and prepare for “winter trials” in December, probably in Sikkim. Each vendor will build three more ATAGs gun prototypes to expedite trials.

The first ATAGS firing trials were carried out in Balasore, Odisha, last December.

While ATAGS looks much like the Bofors FH-77B — the infamous “Bofors gun” that India bought 410 of in the 1980s before scandal derailed indigenous construction — the ATAGS is in face significantly bigger than the 155-millimetre, 39-calibre Bofors.

When talking about a 155-millimetre, 52-calibre gun, the first figure denotes the “bore” of the gun, or the width of the gun barrel; while calibre relates to barrel length. The higher the calibre, the longer the barrel and, therefore, the greater its range. A third parameter is chamber size, which determines how large a projectile can be fired from the gun, and therefore how much damage a round can inflict on the target.

Another global first in the ATAGS is its all-electric drive, which supersedes the more unreliable hydraulic drives in other towed guns. The all-electric drive operates all the ATAGS’ gun controls: ammunition handling, opening and closing the breech, and ramming the round into the chamber.

The ATAGS is the world’s only gun with a six-round “automated magazine” that fires a six-round burst in just 30 seconds. Most other existing 155-millimetre, 52-calibre guns have three-round magazines, which must be reloaded after firing three rounds.

A high “burst fire” capability will provide the army a significant advantage since artillery causes most casualties in the initial burst of fire, when enemy soldiers are caught in the open (and not after they dive into their trenches).

http://www.business-standard.com/ar...nister-nirmala-sitharaman-117090500024_1.html

 

[Shaitan]

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