Global Market Scenario
Global Artillery Systems Market is estimated to reach $19.13 billion by 2025; growing at a CAGR of 8.8% from 2017 to 2025. Artillery systems include large military weapons built to fire munitions far beyond the range and power of infantry’s small arms. With improved technology, lighter, more mobile field artillery are developed for battlefield use. The demand for the artillery systems is mainly driven by the expected procurement of key defence spending nations that are presently involved in conflicts, and developing economies involved in territorial disputes as well as countering insurgencies. Additionally, the need to keep a sufficient inventory of second line of fire artillery systems for militaries around the globe and high demand for training systems are likely to have a positive impact on demand of the Artillery Systems.
Current Scenario: Indian Artillery
The Indian Army’s artillery modernisation plan envisages procuring 2,800 guns by 2027. The plan included procuring 1,580 towed guns, 814 truck-mounted guns, 100 tracked self-propelled guns, 180 wheeled self-propelled guns and 145 ultra-light howitzers.
Indian Army’s artillery modernisation has now turned indigenous with the focus on ‘Make in India’. After buying two artillery gun systems from foreign sources in the last six years, India is now going to buy India-made guns on a large scale to boost Indian industry in the private sector and technology in the public sector.
At a meeting of the Defence Acquisition Council in December 2017, the government gave the go-ahead to procure 20 guns each of the 155mm Advanced Towed Artillery Gun System (ATAGS) from the Tata Power SED and Bharat Forge. That would make a regiment each of the two-gun systems.
The November 2016 deal for the M777 is priced at nearly Rs. 5,000 crore and was approved by the Cabinet Committee on Security. While the BAE Systems has begun delivery of the M777 guns to the Indian Army, a total of 25 guns would be delivered from the US in a fly-away condition. The rest 120 M777 guns would be assembled, integrated and tested at a facility in India, set up in partnership with the Mahindra Group.
Current Artillery Stock
The howitzers that can be helicopter-lifted were first proposed to be bought from BAE Systems about 10 years ago and the procurement has been made, even as the US arm of the global defence manufacturer was preparing to shut down its production facility for the guns. Both the K9 and the M777 guns have already been inducted into the Indian Army’s Regiment of Artillery in November 2018.
The Regiment of Artillery has hitherto been equipped with Field, Medium, Self-Propelled, Light and Medium Regiments. Field Regiments possess either 105 mm Indian Field/Light Field Gun or 122mm Field Howitzer. The Medium Regiments possess 130 mm Medium Gun, 155 mm Bofors Medium Gun (39 calibre) and a few regiments of 155 mm (45 calibre) Soltam Guns. The Self-Propelled Regiments are equipped with 130 mm ‘Catapult’ and the Light Regiments are equipped with 120 mm Mortars. The 105 mm, 120 mm Mortar, Soltam and the Catapult is made in India, while the 130 mm is being upgraded to a 155 mm (45 calibre) Gun under a ‘Make’ project.
