Army to store ammo in caves under Himalayas

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, April 25

The Army has joined hands with the National Hydro Power Corporation (NHPC) to construct underground caverns for storage of ammunition at four locations in the Himalayas.

The services of the NHPC have been sought since it has a huge experience in making dams with underground tunnels in the mountains. The Army’s size of ammunition storage caverns is almost the same strength as what tunnels are made for dams by the NHPC. 

These ammunition storage caverns (large caves) will come up at key locations facing China and Pakistan. A range of ammunition used by the Army — bullets, rockets, anti-tank, surface-to-air missiles, etc., can be stored in the caverns. 

A memorandum of understanding (MoU) was been signed today. The underground storage of ammunition provides for better safety; it’s easier to camouflage from enemy observation and roving satellites, besides it’s protected against strikes like those seen during the aerial engagement on February 27 when Pakistan air force jets targeted the army installations along the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir. 

Major armies, including that of China and the US, already use underground ammunition storage. These storage caverns will be built in high-altitude areas in the northern and eastern borders. Each of these will have storage capacity of 200 metric tonnes. 

The Army had earlier tried to make these caverns on its own in Sikkim and Tawang. However, seepage, dampness and other geological challenges hampered the plans. In November last year, the Army approached the NHPC. 

Navy’s plan to bolster capabilities 

• In the wake of China’s growing naval presence in the Indian Ocean, the Navy is working on a mega plan to significantly boost its operational capability by inducting 200 ships, 500 aircraft and 24 attack submarines.
• The Navy will also incorporate big data analytics and artificial intelligence in the domains of naval combat, as per the plan discussed extensively by top naval commanders at a three-day conference which concluded on Thursday. 
• The Navy will also come out with concrete plans to incorporate big data analytics and artificial intelligence for solutions in the domains of naval combat, logistics and several other key areas, the officials said. PTI