Army sets sights on 155-mm family of precision munitions

Just a few weeks after carrying out precision strikes on terrorist camps and military sites in Pakistan as part of its retribution against the Pahalgam terror attack, the Indian Army has set sights on acquiring a family of precision munitions that can be fired from its 155 mm artillery guns.

“Medium regiments are to be equipped with 155 mm family of precision munitions to provide first round hit probability during swift and intense operations, thereby enhancing the efficacy of field artillery gun systems,” a request for information (RFI) issued by Army headquarters on June 23 to identify suitable vendors states.

“The proposed 155 mm family of precision munitions will be employed in plains, mountains, high-altitude, semi-desert and desert terrains for execution of artillery tasks and are required to be compatible with all in service 155 mm caliber guns, the RFI adds.

The family of munitions being sought by the Army includes terminally guided munitions, sensor fused munitions and course correction systems that can be fired with any angle of elevation and can seek and destroy enemy armoured fighting vehicles or moving convoys of soft skinned vehicles.

This is part of the Army’s ongoing artillery modernisation efforts to enhance its operational capabilities, boost firepower and improve responsiveness in diverse terrains along the borders with China and Pakistan. Besides new guns, drones, surveillance and target acquisition radar, sensors and automated fire and control systems are part of the process.

The technical requirements listed out by the Army include compatibility with all caliber lengths and bi-modular charge systems of the in-service systems and be able to match the maximum range of the gun.

The Army has four types of 155 mm artillery guns in service. The oldest is the Bofors FH-77, 410 of which were inducted in the late 1980s and were effectively used to target element positions along the Line of Control in the 1999 Kargil conflict.

The next induction of 155 mm guns came about three decades later when the British M-777 ultra-lightweight howitzers were procured. A total of 145 guns were inducted in 2017 after a protracted procurement process.

Three other systems have also recently entered service with the Indian Army. These are the K-9 Vajra self-propelled howitzer, Dhanush towed artillery gun and the Advanced Towed Artillery Gun System (ATAGS).

The K-9 is a Korean origin gun that is being licensed produced in India by Larsen and Toubro with 50 per cent Indian components. Dhanush is manufactured by the Advanced Weapons and Equipment India at the Gun Carriage Factory, Jabalpur — previously a part of the Ordnance Factory Board. ATAGS is a towed 155 mm howitzer being developed by DRDO’s Armament Research and Development Establishment, Tata Advanced Systems and Kalyani Strategic Systems.

Medium artillery guns like 155 mm series have a range of about 40 km. Some of the systems in the Indian Army’s inventory were used during Operation Sindoor in May to destroy Pakistani positions across the border.