India’s ambitious Field Artillery Rationalisation Plan (FARP) conceived in 1999 rejigged as Artillery Profile 2027 has been the harbinger of global and Indian industry majors operating in this domain making a pitch for the huge pie estimated to be over 3000 guns for the past two decades.
Alas! Just two have been able to make the cut to supply a fraction of the requirement of Indian artillery – BAE Systems and South Korean Hanwa Techwin the latter in collaboration with Indian defence major Larsen and Toubro (L&T).
The interest in artillery contracts has been so huge that a large industrial player Bharat Forge even picked up an idle plant in Europe and transported the same to India, “lock stock and barrel.”
Def Expo 2022 saw interest in the artillery domain with L & T and Bharat Forge apart from the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) developed new systems and the Bharat Earth Movers Limited (BEML) propelled Mounted Gun System (MGS) prominent.
Here is a review of progress in FARP and defence industry majors currently involved in the programme particularly after the Atma Nirbhar Bharat tilt
FARP and Artillery Profile 2027
The FARP or Artillery Profile 2027 envisaged conversion of the Indian artillery which was predominantly based on the hardy, light and transportable 105 guns to what is known as Mediumisation or 155mm caliber by 2025. The time line has since been revised to 2040,
The plan included induction of 1,580 towed gun systems (TGS), 814 mounted gun systems (MGS), 100 self-propelled howitzers (SPHs) all of 155mm/52 caliber or 45 caliber and 145 numbers of 155 mm/39 calibre lightweight howitzers for the mountains where caliber relates to the length of the barrel. This was to convert the approximately 250 regiments of the Indian artillery to hold the 155mm guns and general purpose rocket systems
Selection of 155 mm caliber was based on the experience that was derived of effectiveness of the Swedish Bofors which was used during operations in Kargil 1999 and the relative inability of the 105mm for neutralization and destruction of the enemy in bunkers one of the main tasks of the artillery.
Apart from what is known as the close support system as above general support to include multiple rocket systems and missiles were also envisaged to include (i) Pinaka Rocket System. (ii) Smerch Rocket System. (iii) BrahMos Missile System.
Some foreign firms were in the fray in the past such as Israeli firm Elbit systems with the Athos towed howitzer and French Nexter, but these are now out of reckoning after the government has gone in for the Atma Nirbhar Bharat in defence in a major way.
Progress of FARP – General
Quite apparently the time line of 2025 as originally envisaged has now been extended to 2040. Despite the delay the government has been reassuring the parliament that “operational preparedness of the Army continues to remain at the desired level. The Government proposes to induct the following artillery guns in future: (i) 155mm / 52 Calibre Towed Gun. (ii) 155mm / 52 Calibre Tracked (Self-Propelled) Gun. (iii) 155mm / 52 Calibre Wheeled (Self propelled) Gun. (iv) 155mm / 52 Calibre Mounted Gun System (MGS). (v) 155mm/39 Calibre Ultra Light Howitzer (ULH)”.
On the artillery profile in a response to a question in the Parliament the Ministry of defence indicated that Artillery equipments procured / upgraded in the past two decades includes Pinaka Rocket System; Smerch Rocket System; BrahMos Missile System and Upgradation of 130mm gun to 155mm/45 calibre. Procurement of new generation Artillery is in consonance with Artillery Profile 2027. This profile has a mix of 155mm/39 calibre, 155mm/45 calibre and 155mm/52 calibre gun system.
Breakdown of FARP
The large number of guns planned to be inducted cannot be sourced from one or two sources due to design and development as well as production challenges.
During this process a lot of mix and match has taken place and several options have emerged. For instance, the Sharang is a project that entails upgradation of the Soviet era 130 mm M 46 Towed artillery gun which had been the staple of “medium,” regiments of the Indian artillery to 155 mm caliber. 15 Sharang regiments will be raised of which four are said to be already either operational or about to be so.
Dhanush is another indigenous project based on the technical documents as per the ToT contract received by OFB from M/s AB Bofors of Sweden, but the ToT was not carried forward as the dealings with the technology provider, were suspended. This has gathered steam but design defects have delayed the army order for 114 guns.
As of now, the army has operationalised its first Dhanush regiment along the India China border and is now looking at raising a second regiment with 18 guns by March 2023 as per a report in the Hindustan Times.
Plan for induction of self propelled guns has largely fructified. 100 numbers of 155mm/52-calibre tracked self-propelled K9 Vajra-T guns have been inducted with technology transfer from South Korean firm Hanwha Techwin (HTW) to L & T.
A repeat order is likely to make up the requirement that has emerged for the Northern border with China. Originally the gun was meant to be a part of the artillery units of mechanized formation for operations in the plains and desert sector. A tender for the additional guns is expected shortly.
“If you don’t have at least 10 more regiments of self-propelled artillery, you will fall short all over the border,” says Lt General P Ravi Shankar, former Director General Artillery was quoted by a media source.
The ATAGS which is still undergoing final trials was deployed for the traditional 21-gun salute at the 75th Independence Day ceremony at Red Fort. The ATAGS is a gun that is designed and developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) since 2013 in partnership with Bharat Forge Limited and Tata Advanced Systems Limited. 150 ATAGS are expected to be a part of the initial order at an estimated cost of Rs 3,365 crore.
The DRDO has also produced a modification of the ATAGS the Mounted Gun System which is mounted on a Kolos Tatra tractor. With Indian Army planning to procure 814 guns the DRDO hopes to provide this to the military but private sector firms Kalyani Group and Tata Advanced Systems are also in the fray in this category.
General Purpose Artillery
The Indian army’s four Pinaka regiments will be supplemented by six with rockets of 48 km to be subsequently upgraded to the extended range guided Pinaka of 75 km. Pinaka rocket system is also being exported to Armenia as per some recent reports.
Pinaka is a free flight artillery rocket system having a range of 37.5 km. Pinaka rockets are launched from a multi barrel rocket launcher which has capability to launch salvo of 12 rockets in 44 seconds.
Guided Pinaka, an INS+GPS guided, canard controlled, precision strike guided artillery rocket system, has been designed and developed by ARDE, Pune, in association with Research Centre Imarat (RCI), Hyderabad; Defence Research & Development Laboratory (DRDL), Hyderabad; HEMRL, Pune and Proof and Experimental Establishment (PXE), Balasore.
OEMs in the Fray
Government controlled erstwhile Ordnance Factory Board is the largest manufacturer of artillery systems so far but gradually private industry majors as Kalyani Group, L & T and Tata Advanced Systems are making a mark.
The corporatized Advanced Weapons and Equipment India Limited will now be engaged in the business of manufacturing weapons and equipment. The AWEI Ltd has inherited the mantle of Field Gun Factory Kanpur, Gun Carriage Factory Jabalpur and Gun and Shell Factory Cossipore. These will be manufacturing the Dhanush and Sharang guns.
In Def Expo 2022, Kalyani Group announced the world’s largest plant for artillery guns in three years, producing one gun per day, a five-fold increase over the current production rate. “The capital investment has already been done. Now we need to increase the volumes,” Kalyani was quoted as saying at the Gandhi Nagar Defense Expo 2022. The Group is also collaborating with the DRDO for the ATAGS.
Kalyani group has also launched the indigenous Multi-terrain Artillery Gun (MArG) 155 – BR during the a multinational military exercise of BIMSTEC (Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation) countries.
Larsen and Toubro (L&T) has established an Armoured Systems Complex (ASC) the country’s first private facility for manufacturing of the K9 Vajra self-propelled Howitzer guns in Surat Gujarat which was inaugurated by the Prime Minister Mr Narendra Modi in 2019. This will implement additional orders of the K 9 and further artillery programmes
Tata Advanced Systems is one of the development agencies nominated to design and develop an indigenous 155 / 52mm Towed Gun incorporating futuristic technologies in Electrical, Electronics, Mechanical design and analysis. The 155 / 52mm Cal Advanced Towed Artillery Gun System (ATAGS) programme envisages selective development of various technologies to achieve better performance to meet user requirements as per the company web site.
Conclusion
The saying Better Late than Never seems to have worked for indigenization of the Indian artillery’s FARP programme.
While the tracked gun programme and the light howitzers are on stream the larger plans for acquisition of 1580 towed and 814 MGS are lacking behind.
It now depends on the Ministry of Defence, acquisition cell and the Director General Artillery of the Indian Army to activate the same.
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