Indian Army Artillery

Anshu Attri

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BAE Systems ready to help India build Bofors guns


BAE Systems ready to help India build Bofors guns | idrw.org

Dean McCumiskey, Managing Director and Chief Executive of BAE Systems' India operations told StratPost his company would be open to discussing any question of technical assistance the OFB might require, in its attempt to execute the designs and technology documentation transferred to it as part of the old Bofors howitzer procurement.

BAE Systems has said it is ready to provide assistance to India's Ordnance Factory Board (OFB) in its endeavor to build artillery guns on the basis of the technology of the Bofors FH77 B02 howitzer, transferred to it as part of the aborted procurement in the 1980s. BAE Systems owns the howitzer unit of the erstwhile Swedish company.

Dean McCumiskey, Managing Director and Chief Executive of BAE Systems' India operations toldStratPost his company would be open to discussing any question of technical assistance the OFB might require, in its attempt to execute the designs and technology documentation transferred to it as part of the old Bofors howitzer purchase, cut short because of the infamous corruption scandal.

The OFB has been tasked with the manufacture of 100 howitzers to be built using the technology transferred to it by Bofors.

Besides providing drawings and manufacturing instructions as part of the technology documentation transferred, Bofors was also required to provide technical support in understanding and executing the documentation, as part of the contract. But since the deal was cancelled, there was no move to execute the license production of the technology and build the howitzer in India.

Defense Minister A.K. Antony told Parliament earlier this month, "The government had secured the right of transfer of technology during the purchase of Bofors guns. Though all the technological documents as per the ToT contract were received by OFB from M/s AB Bofors, the Transfer of Technology was not carried forward as the dealings with the technology provider; (M/s AB Bofors) were suspended. Further, no indent was placed by Army on OFB for manufacture and supply of complete gun system."

Consequently, India never requested any technical support from Bofors or any of its successor companies, the agreement for which lapsed several years back without any move to extend its validity.

StratPost understands from sources familiar with the technical details of the Bofors artillery procurement that it would be 'almost impossible' to make use of the documentation without assistance and support from the original designer and producer. There are also questions as to the availability of components and subsystems in the market, which has moved on from analogue to digital. Systems that would likely require redesign altogether could include the computer, range finder, gyro and positioning system.

BAE Systems currently makes the FH77 B05 howitzer, a significantly advanced version of the system supplied to India
 

The enlightened

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Designation:
FH-77 B05 L52
Info
Manufactured by: Bofors Defence AB
Type: Weapons & Weapon Systems
Name: Towed gun



The FH 77B05 L52 is a further development of the successful FH 77B02 L39 howitzer system. The system meets or supersedes all requirements for a modern, towed artillery system, which is made possible through a number of improvements.

The longer barrel and larger chamber volume result in extended firing range of more than 40 km and enable firing of the next generation smart ammunition.

Onboard ballistic computer enabling calculating firing data, automatic laying and firing control, automatic input of ammunition data and meteorological data.

The FH 77B05 L52 has its own land navigation system, eliminating the need for surveying and alignment giving the complete system a very low LCC.

BENEFITS

Integrated navigation, positioning and aligning system and onboard ballistic calculation

Automatic servo controlled laying

Intra-howitzer radio communication

Intra-battery communication > 5 km

Handles modular charges and bag charges

Spares and logistics similar to FH77B

Direct firing capability out to 2 km

MRSI capability, up to 5 hits in a target momentarely

Mobility

Over long distances, a cross country truck tows the gun.

The towing truck and gun can travel at the speed of 80 km/h. For short periods of time and when road conditions allow, the speed can increase.

For cross-country driving, the gun can be tandem-driven from the towing truck. Maximum speed is about 8 km/h and cross-country mobility is excellent.

Over short distances, the gun can be driven independently at speeds of up to 8 km/h.

For deploy/redeployment the gun uses its own power unit.

Gun in/out of action time (trained crew) is less than 90 seconds.

Firing

One of the most important attributes of the Field Howitzer 77B05 is the high rate of fire, i.e. its ability to fire a great number of rounds in a specified time, and MRSI (Multiple Round Simultaneous Impact).

The gun has an automatic laying system with on-board ballistic calculation.

Howitzer Computer Unit (HCU)

The HCU contains the GUI (Gun Users Interface) software and the software for ballistic calculations. It also handles communication with:

CCM (Control Computer Module) controlling the system for loading, laying and firing, and also receives data from the INS

Laser Range Finder

Muzzle Velocity System

Barrel Temperature Sensor

MRR for sending and receiving data messages

HCU

Processor Intel Pentium III 500 MHz

Ram 256 MB SDRAM

HDD 10 GB removable

Power specification 10 - 30 VDC with 5 min UPS

CCM

Power card Convert 24 V to 5 V

CPU card

CPU TMS320C32, 50 MHz, 512 kB EEPROM

Logic card Signals IN/OUT

Gun laying is carried out hydraulically using variable servo valves. Laying can be carried out using the following modes:

Normal:

Automatic laying by the HCU. The HCU calculates obtained firing data, prevents laying outside the gun's laying and firing limitations and automatically lays onto target.

Direct Fire:

When laying using the joystick, the HCU calculates the ?ring data automatically and aiming takes place with no further action. The HCU prevents laying outside the gun's laying and ?ring limitations.

Technician's mode:

Manual laying using the joystick - will override laying and firing limitations.
Specifications
Property

Value
Barrel length (calibres)
52
Main weapon caliber (mm)
155
Rate of fire (rds/min)
3
Elevation (degree)
70
Depression (degree)
-3
Traverse arc (degree)
50
Awesome
^^BAE needs to make our guns like these.
 

Kunal Biswas

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Well Kalyani group has also jumped in, we can see the momentum clearly

Kalyani Group artillery to be featured

by Ajai Shukla
Business Standard, 29th May 12


Army chief General V K Singh's leaked letter to defence minister A K Antony, which flagged the country's lack of defence preparedness, casts a shadow over Defexpo India 2012, which kicks off in New Delhi tomorrow. However, the silver linings in the four-day event would be the impressive presence of several Indian private companies and newcomers in developing complex weaponry, with capabilities the defence ministry (MoD) can no longer ignore.

Among the most visible would be the Pune-headquartered Kalyani Group, which would emphatically project its ambition to develop artillery systems for the Indian Army. With foreign artillery procurement stalled for two decades, Baba Kalyani — who has shaped his flagship company, Bharat Forge, into the world's largest forgings manufacturer — has committed the finance, the manpower and the strategic mind space he believes would make the Kalyani Group a full-spectrum developer of artillery systems.

Kalyani intends to start by building a 155 mm, 52-calibre towed howitzer, which the army desperately wants. Several years of user trials of foreign guns have only resulted in vendors being rejected, blacklisted, or withdrawn from the contest. Kalyani is now boldly offering an Indian alternative.

"I will offer to the Indian Army a fully developed artillery gun system, integrating all the command and control elements, before 2015," he asserts.

To this end, the Kalyani Group has imported from Austrian gun manufacturer Maschinenfabrik Liezen (MFL) a service version of its famous 155 mm, 45-calibre, autonomous gun system, which had impressed Indian gunners when they evaluated it in the mid-1980s (though they bought the Bofors gun instead).

The Kalyani Group has also bought, knocked down and transported to India an entire operational artillery gun factory from Swiss company RUAG. Instead of learning the ropes of manufacturing artillery from scratch, Kalyani's designers in Pune intend to absorb foreign technology, thereby leapfrogging an extended development process. Unlike many Indian private companies, Baba Kalyani is investing his own money into building capabilities. Given Bharat Forge's hardcore engineering pedigree, he is confident he has the solution.

Says Kalyani: "There are the DRDO ((Defence Research & Development Organisation), the OFB (Ordnance Factory Board) and other excellent organisations that have design talent and capability. What India lacks is the ability to convert designs into manufactured products. This is where the Kalyani Group comes in. Building an artillery gun system is largely about materials, forgings and manufacturing. We have in our group the capability to be a top-class manufacturer of precision products."

Kalyani Steel would provide the steel and metallurgy. The drives, engine, transmission, etc would be built by Automotive Axles Ltd, the Rs 2,000-crore Kalyani Group company and the largest manufacturer of axles in the region.

Alongside the engineering bravado, there is realism, too, about the Kalyani Group's inexperience in creating the sophisticated software that underpins the gun control, fire correction and command and control systems, about 50 per cent of the overall gun system.

"Our strategy is to collaborate with entities that already have capabilities in electronics and guidance. (For this) we are in constant dialogue with the DRDO and the MoD. But we are confident about the precision engineering needed for the mechanical parts of the gun," says Kalyani.

The only "missing link", as Kalyani puts it, is the reliance on the MoD for testing facilities. Guns under development must be periodically tested through live firing. In India, this can only be conducted in cooperation with the Army. The MoD, rattled by the repeated failures of artillery gun procurement programmes, has already initiated two projects in the public sector to develop an artillery gun. The OFB has been asked to construct two 155 mm, 39-calibre guns from the engineering drawings that came with the Bofors gun in the mid-1980s. The OFB would then try to upgrade these into longer-range 155 mm, 45-calibre guns.

Simultaneously, the MoD has sanctioned Rs 150 crore for the DRDO to develop a 155 mm, 52-calibre gun. The DRDO's Armament R&D Establishment (ARDE), Pune, would soon float a tender for an Indian industrial partner, in which the Kalyani Group intends to bid.

Such is the aggressiveness within the Group that it intends to develop its own gun on a parallel track, even if it becomes an industrial partner to the DRDO for the ARDE's gun. Rajinder Bhatia, who would head this project, says, "We are willing to compete against ourselves. On one track, we will work with the DRDO, funded by the government. On our own track, we will fund ourselves. Baba Kalyani is willing to commit Rs 100 crore for this."
Broadsword: Defexpo 2012: Kalyani Group artillery to be featured
 

bhramos

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L&T , Samsung Techwin to develop self-propelled artillery

COIMBATORE, MARCH 29:
Engineering giant Larsen & Toubro Ltd (L&T) has joined hands with the South Korean defence equipment manufacturer Samsung Techwin Co Ltd (STW) for the development of self-propelled artillery.

According to the announcement made at the DEFEXPO 2012 at New Delhi, the two companies would cooperate in the Indian Army's Tracked Self-Propelled Artillery Programme. L&T would be the lead partner in the exercise.

New system

In a statement to the stock exchanges, both companies said that they would offer the latest Self-Propelled Tracked Howitzer system to meet the needs of the Indian Army.

This cooperation would lead to new opportunities for the partners working together in both Indian and global markets, according to Mr M.V. Kotwal, Member, L&T Board and President, Heavy Engineering.

Explaining the synergy between the two companies, the notification said that L&T had been a successful innovator and systems integrator for key systems and technologies. It had indigenously developed and supplied complete systems for the Indian defence and aerospace sectors.

'K9 Thunder'

The South Korean company was the OEM for the Korean Self-Propelled Howitzer 'K9 Thunder', which it claimed as the 'largest and most successful' of the 155 mm/52 calibre self-propelled artillery systems globally today.

As the lead partner, L&T would indigenously produce the Self-Propelled Howitzer and the South Korean company STW would provide key technologies for localising the K9 Thunder.

During the production phase, the joint offering would have over 50 per cent local content. L&T has planned to roll out these guns from its defence equipment facility at Talegaon near Pune.

A proposal to develop the 155mm/52 calibre tracked, self-propelled artillery, with L&T as the lead partner, was submitted last year to the Ministry of Defence.
 
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bengalraider

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Why do I get this feeling that this picture was photoshopped?

Look at the trailer, the missile canisters and the missile tips.
Well it's real, at least as a mock-up. the vehicle depicted is as SPIEZ correctly estimated a 12X12 to be more specific it is the TATA LPTA5252 12X12 vehicle developed specifically for TEL applications for missiles like the Prahaar, Brahmos LACM and Nirbhay . the vehicle has high- mobility features like ABS, central tire inflation system auxiliary gear box with high and low speed mode and differential locks system. The Vehicle is powered by a 520BHP Turbo diesel engine and generally is meant to be used in a 12x8 configuration on normal roads the 12x10 or 12x12 being used as per terrain requirements.
 

bengalraider

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Gentlemen one more scoop from DEFEXPO by yours truly, Ashok Leyland has tied up with KMW to offer the DONAR SPG TO THE IA, what is the DONAR well in simple words it's the Pzh2000 gun on a smaller tracked carrier that makes it a helluva more compact system.

from the Leyland stall
563922_10150781359580775_506990774_12050373_1498412248_n.jpg

The DONAR
[video=youtube_share;TAm9i_UHCak]http://youtu.be/TAm9i_UHCak[/video]
 

Patriot

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Btw, Denel is back with TATA..
Kunal, is this Denel & TATA tie-up is for only SPG or for 155mm artillary as well. What will be the platform for the SPG? is TATA going to come up with some wheeled version of the SPG with Denel's Gun?
 

Kunal Biswas

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Kunal, is this Denel & TATA tie-up is for only SPG or for 155mm artillary as well. What will be the platform for the SPG? is TATA going to come up with some wheeled version of the SPG with Denel's Gun?
Yes, The SPG is a Gun mounted system ( Marketing Term )




Right now only MGS, Not Towed or tracked..

The platform is the TATA 8x8 truck, Same one used for Prahaar..

If selected it can be also available in towed and tracked..



PS. Looks like Denel did took advice from Sayareakd Sir :D
 

bengalraider

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Yes, The SPG is a Gun mounted system ( Marketing Term )




Right now only MGS, Not Towed or tracked..

The platform is the TATA 8x8 truck, Same one used for Prahaar..

If selected it can be also available in towed and tracked..



PS. Looks like Denel did took advice from Sayareakd Sir :D


As of now the TATA 8x8 and electronics are being assembled in India and then sent to South Africa for integration with the gun, the total system is right now competing with worldwide artillery companies for a contract by the Indonesian military.The gun is the same as the DENEL T5-52 CONDOR that was developed initially in the nineties keeping India in mind.
As per my conversation with the TATA team they are trying to pressurize the GOI into letting the artillery division of DENEL free from the ban the logic being that no wrongdoing was detected in the arty tender by DENEL.
 
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pankaj nema

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Artilerry Modernisation is finally moving forward as per the info coming from Def expo 12

Things are looking good
 

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