Indian Army Artillery

bhramos

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Indian Army completes self-propelled howitzer trials

The Indian Army has completed trials for two 155 mm/52 calibre howitzer systems and is preparing a report for the Ministry of Defence.

Official sources said two competing 155 mm/52 cal towed gun systems and two 155 mm/52 cal self-propelled tracked howitzers recently completed maintainability acceptance trials and secured Directorate General of Quality Assurance clearance.

These processes followed summer and winter trials involving all four howitzers in Rajasthan in mid-2013 and Sikkim state in the Himalayas late last year and in January.

France's Nexter Systems modified its Trajan 155 mm/52 calibre for the Indian tender and Elbit submitted its ATHOS 2052 for the towed gun tender.
Indian Army completes self-propelled howitzer trials - IHS Jane's 360
 

Sea Eagle

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Indian Army RFI for Trajectory Correctable Munitions (Course Correctable Fuze) for all Calibers of 155mm Gun System. Also, they want a similar system for 122/214/300 mm rockets. Finally a replacement for Israeli TCS.

Official Website of Indian Army
 

Zebra

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Remove ban on defence firm, Singapore tells India

Wednesday, August 20, 2014
By : Economic Times

NEW DELHI: Singapore has requested India to review its decision to blacklist its defence firm ST Kinetics, which was barred from doing business with India for 10 years for its alleged role in the 2009 Ordnance Factory Board bribery scandal.....

Defence News - Remove ban on defence firm, Singapore tells India
 

cobra commando

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Indian Army scouts 'Smart' artillery shells

August 19, 2014: The Indian Army is looking to procure 155mm Trajectory Correctable Munitions (Course Correctable Fuze) for its 155mm artillery guns, and to include 39/45/52 calibre equipment. Interested vendors have been sent a 34-point questionaire to identify all parameters of prospective systems, including dimensions and weight of Course Correctable Fuze, whether it has any limitations in operating in different types of terrain prevalent in India, the extreme atmospheric conditions in which Course Correctable Fuze can effectively operate, whether it is compatible with 39/45/52 calibre of 155mm artillery in service with the Indian Army, the maximum and minimum range achieved by firing Course Correctable Fuze with 39/45/52 calibre of 155mm Gun Systems, whether this fuze affects the minimum or maximum range of the standard HE projectile of 155mm gun system, type of guidance being used, accuracy (in terms of Line and Range), different modes of Course Correctable Fuze, efficacy in firing in High Altitude Area etc. The procurement has been accorded high priority by the Army, which will be looking to wrap up an order within 18 months.


Indian Army scouts Smart artillery shells - SP's Land Forces
 

Twinblade

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Avinash Chander: Well, there is the 155 mm bi-modular charge system, which was one of the most critical items held up, has already been evaluated and has proved to be very successful. We are confident that bulk orders for production will be coming soon. And a huge plant in Nalanda is coming up for that which will become operational by 2016 or so. A very effective joint process between DRDO and OFB has shaped up this system and it is now performing better than what we have been importing.

Similarly, coming to other areas such as mines, grenades etc. We have developed grenades like the Shivalik multi-mode grenade, which have much better performance than what was being earlier produced, better safety record and so forth. We are also doing very well in different kinds of mines.

So there are a wide area of munitions that we have started getting into, mostly need driven.

Saurav Jha: What about artillery rockets such as the Pinaka Mk-II?

Avinash Chander: Pinaka MK-II has been tested and we are offering it for user evaluation trials. It has a range of 65 km and we are now starting work on a Pinaka-III which will be a fully guided rocket with better accuracy and longer range.

Saurav Jha: And what would the guidance scheme be?

Avinash Chander: Inertial with satellite updates.

Saurav Jha: Multi-constellation satellite update? From the IRNSS as well?

Avinash Chander: Yes it will be able to receive updates from multiple constellations including the IRNSS.

Saurav Jha: Turning to tube artillery, what is the status of the Advanced Towed Array Gun System (ATAGS) programme?

Avinash Chander: ATAGS programme is going strong. We expect the barrel firing to be done by the end of this year. The programme is on schedule.

Saurav Jha: Will it be available for trials by 2017-18?

Avinash Chander: Yes the entire gun should be available for trials by 2017-18. 2017 in fact.
Saurav Jha's Blog : Interview with the Chief of DRDO, Avinash Chander -Part II
 

Pandora

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MUMBAI: Flashback to 1999, and the Kargil war. The military is forced to abort missions due to heavy casualties. Then it decides to deploy the controversial Bofors gun to destroy Pakistani outposts from various vantage points. The strategy pays off, but the military realises it will soon run out of ammunition to feed the howitzers.

At the urging of army commanders, the defence ministry turns to Baba Kalyani and his company Bharat Forge to make shells for its Bofors 155mm howitzers. Kalyani, chairman of the Bharat Forge Group, recalls how the company got the "emergency order" to make 1 lakh shells. That's how the company's ability to turn out high-quality products at short notice, which helped burnish its global reputation in the auto parts industry, came to play a role in history.

More than a decade since then, the group led by flagship Bharat Forge is ready with artillery equipment that the Indian defence forces will soon start testing. This puts it nicely in place to take advantage of the Narendra Modi government's initiative to encourage greater private participation in the defence sector.

"A lot of emphasis on local manufacturing of defence products has been put by the current government. Thus, companies like us, who've taken defence seriously, are now products has been put by the current government. Thus, companies like us, who've taken defence seriously, are now production-ready," Kalyani told ET in an exclusive interview.

The government has also opened up the sector to more overseas investments to persuade foreign companies to transfer technology to Indian firms. To those who would question the competence of a forging company entering the high-tech defence space, Kalyani said manufacturers such as Bharat Forge are especially well-qualified to do so."Companies like us from basic industries such as metallurgy and forging are the ones that are engaged in defence worldwide," he reasoned. For its artillery equipment venture, the Indian company has a joint venture with Elbit Systems, an Israeli defence equipment maker. The venture will initially work on the 155mm howitzer modernisation programme.

Bharat Forge has also built a howitzer from scratch that Kalyani says has far greater firepower than even the Bofors gun that's currently in use. "Our artillery gun would be better than Bofors," he asserted.

"On the operational parameter, it is better in terms that it can move at 25 km an hour on its own, and the gun would take 52 calibre rounds compared with the 39 calibre of Bofors. It would have 'steer by wire', which the Bofors guns do not possess," he said.

By late September or early October, the Indian Army will start testing Bharat Forge's artillery equipment. An ultra light gun will be ready for testing by late September while trials of the 155mm artillery gun will start by December. A 155mm ultra light gun will be ready for testing by the middle of next year.


The company is also actively scouting for opportunities in the small arms space, although the government is yet to give permission to private companies to manufacture such weapon .Bharat Forge decided to diversify away from the automobile sector after the global economic turmoil hit in 2008 and plant capacity had to be idled.

"We did a couple of things. We tightened costs and adopted lean manufacturing processes. We invested heavily in R&D to develop new products" to mitigate the effects of the slump. But "when the Indian economy got battered, we too got battered in the process". This forced the company to look at sectors it could enter by leveraging its metallurgical and forging prowess. Components for the shale gas fracking, aerospace, offshore oil & gas exploration and defence industries were shortlisted.



Indian Bofors: Auto components leader Bharat Forge turns focus to defence technology - The Economic Times




Bharat 52-155/52 howitzer


Garuda 105- Garuda 105mm is ultra-light gun system




BEAS is the upgunned 130mm M46 to 155mm/45 calibre gun


Bharat Forge ULH-155/39mm
 

SilentKiller

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MUMBAI: Flashback to 1999, and the Kargil war. The military is forced to abort missions due to heavy casualties. Then it decides to deploy the controversial Bofors gun to destroy Pakistani outposts from various vantage points. The strategy pays off, but the military realises it will soon run out of ammunition to feed the howitzers.

At the urging of army commanders, the defence ministry turns to Baba Kalyani and his company Bharat Forge to make shells for its Bofors 155mm howitzers. Kalyani, chairman of the Bharat Forge Group, recalls how the company got the "emergency order" to make 1 lakh shells. That's how the company's ability to turn out high-quality products at short notice, which helped burnish its global reputation in the auto parts industry, came to play a role in history.

More than a decade since then, the group led by flagship Bharat Forge is ready with artillery equipment that the Indian defence forces will soon start testing. This puts it nicely in place to take advantage of the Narendra Modi government's initiative to encourage greater private participation in the defence sector.

"A lot of emphasis on local manufacturing of defence products has been put by the current government. Thus, companies like us, who've taken defence seriously, are now products has been put by the current government. Thus, companies like us, who've taken defence seriously, are now production-ready," Kalyani told ET in an exclusive interview.

The government has also opened up the sector to more overseas investments to persuade foreign companies to transfer technology to Indian firms. To those who would question the competence of a forging company entering the high-tech defence space, Kalyani said manufacturers such as Bharat Forge are especially well-qualified to do so."Companies like us from basic industries such as metallurgy and forging are the ones that are engaged in defence worldwide," he reasoned. For its artillery equipment venture, the Indian company has a joint venture with Elbit Systems, an Israeli defence equipment maker. The venture will initially work on the 155mm howitzer modernisation programme.

Bharat Forge has also built a howitzer from scratch that Kalyani says has far greater firepower than even the Bofors gun that's currently in use. "Our artillery gun would be better than Bofors," he asserted.

"On the operational parameter, it is better in terms that it can move at 25 km an hour on its own, and the gun would take 52 calibre rounds compared with the 39 calibre of Bofors. It would have 'steer by wire', which the Bofors guns do not possess," he said.

By late September or early October, the Indian Army will start testing Bharat Forge's artillery equipment. An ultra light gun will be ready for testing by late September while trials of the 155mm artillery gun will start by December. A 155mm ultra light gun will be ready for testing by the middle of next year.


The company is also actively scouting for opportunities in the small arms space, although the government is yet to give permission to private companies to manufacture such weapon .Bharat Forge decided to diversify away from the automobile sector after the global economic turmoil hit in 2008 and plant capacity had to be idled.

"We did a couple of things. We tightened costs and adopted lean manufacturing processes. We invested heavily in R&D to develop new products" to mitigate the effects of the slump. But "when the Indian economy got battered, we too got battered in the process". This forced the company to look at sectors it could enter by leveraging its metallurgical and forging prowess. Components for the shale gas fracking, aerospace, offshore oil & gas exploration and defence industries were shortlisted.



Indian Bofors: Auto components leader Bharat Forge turns focus to defence technology - The Economic Times




Bharat 52-155/52 howitzer


Garuda 105- Garuda 105mm is ultra-light gun system




BEAS is the upgunned 130mm M46 to 155mm/45 calibre gun


Bharat Forge ULH-155/39mm
and i liked most Garuda 105- Garuda 105mm is ultra-light gun system.
India should place much larger order for these, useful for norther fronts, Airborne troops and close combat support. order them in larger numbers.
Vehicle should be indian though...

I will still go with drdo 155 52 cal version gun. Bharat Forge can be given contract for ultra light 155mm gun.
Tata for tracked Gun and NeXUS gun system for Truck mounted/wheeled Gun.

This will keep competition and quality and larger skill set and industry.
 

Kunal Biswas

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Bharat 52 as of now should be put into trails at very fast rate, Like General VK Singh said ..
 

Pandora

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Bharat 52 as of now should be put into trails at very fast rate, Like General VK Singh said ..
Kunal Ji,to me Bharat 52 looks a bit old technology, even Dhanush looks quite a new gun with all those electronics systems.
 

Kunal Biswas

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It is not outdated but not sophisticated as Dhanush, But again Bharat 52 meets the urgent need and fit the role ..

It is logical to induct them in more than sufficient numbers and upgrade them after induction in batches ..

Kunal Ji,to me Bharat 52 looks a bit old technology, even Dhanush looks quite a new gun with all those electronics systems.
 

Pandora

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Can anyone put images of OEM gun of same Bharat 52 as they imported the Gun from MFL and RUAG. @Kunal Biswas
 
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sgarg

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Bharat Forge is NOT OFB.

Bharat Forge exports, not imports the bulk of its production.

The machines or know-how may be imported, but there is still very significant value addition in India.
 

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