Out of the five projects to purchase various categories of howitzers, only two have been realised so far – delivery of K-9 Vajra and M-777 ultra lightweight howitzers – meeting just about 9 per cent of the planned acquisition. In the sixth project on the up-gunning of older generation 130 mm guns, the forces received only about 16 per cent of the guns that the army was to receive by March 2022.

The bulk (77 per cent) of the proposed howitzer acquisition comprising 155 mm/52 calibre towed and 155 mm/52 calibre mounted gun systems has not materialised though they were the first two artillery modernisation projects that received the Defence Minister’s approval in 2007 and 2009 respectively.

“Out of the six cases of acquisitions and upgradation of artillery guns, only three culminated into contracts, comprising merely 17 per cent of the total number of guns proposed to be acquired. The replacement of existing artillery guns has been progressing at a very slow pace for over two decades,” the CAG said in its report tabled in the Parliament earlier this week. As of March 2022, only 8 per cent of the guns had been delivered.

Acquisition of self-propelled (wheeled) guns was dropped from the modernisation plans without identifying a suitable substitute.

The 155 mm/52 calibre towed guns, which is to be the mainstay for the Regiment of Artillery in the future – has not been purchased even after a decade-long procedure to identify the vendor, conducting trials and fixing the price after protracted negotiations.

In December 2020, the Narendra Modi government imposed an embargo on their import on the ground of self-reliance. This was one of the 101 items which were brought under the embargo. Going by the original plan approved in 2002, the defence ministry was to directly buy just about 13 per cent of the towed guns while 38 per cent were to be made in India under technology transfer. The 155 mm towed guns were more than half of the total number of howitzers that the army planned to buy.

The army in December 2022 issued a fresh request for information to buy such guns from Indian vendors, once again starting the procurement process as per an acquisition plan drafted in 1999.

The procurement of the mounted gun systems, which was approved with a transfer of technology clause, did not progress beyond the first stage approval (acceptance of necessity) accorded in 2009. It didn’t even progress to the tendering stage (request for proposal) even after 12 years. Asked by the audit, the ministry remained silent on the procurement of such systems.

“The entire (artillery) acquisition process was mired in delays at various stages of procurement for almost all type of guns,” the CAG said in the report, noting that actions like up-gunning of older guns and buying Dhanush (using the Bofors technology) systems would only serve as “stopgap measures.”

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The Indian Army has been ramping up its overall combat capabilities in view of the lingering border row with China in eastern Ladakh.

It has significantly bolstered its fire power along the frontier with China by deploying a range of rockets and artillery weapons and it plans to procure an array of additional systems including 100 K9 Vajra howitzers and UAVs to further augment combat prowess.

The Artillery units of the Indian Army already deployed K-9 Vajra Tracked Self-Propelled Howitzers, ultra-light M-777 howitzers, Pinaka rocket systems and Dhanush gun systems.

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According to reports, the test was part of the second line of firing in Zone 6. Second-line of firing means the firing of guns through ammunition replenishment of 45 rounds each continuously, while zone 6 refers to the highest charge, which makes the gun to fire at its maximum range.

The barrel gets very hot in this process and may burst, which is why the successful firing showed that the gun is now ready for active deployment, the report said.

India has increased procurement of indigenous weapons systems as part of the ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’ (self-reliant India) initiative, as part of which the country has successfully created an artillery ecosystem capable of designing and producing 155 mm howitzer.

The Ministry of Defense (MOD) has banned the imports of 155 mm guns after December 2021, as part of its indigenization drive. Over the past few years, private sector companies such as Larsen & Toubro (L&T), Tata Advanced Systems, Mahindra Defence and Bharat Forge have set up gun production lines.

Private Sector Joins The Race

L&T has built and delivered 100 155 mm K9 Vajra guns under a transfer of technology (ToT) arrangement with South Korea’s Hanwha Defense, and plans are afloat to place orders for more.

K9 Vajra guns, as reported by EurAsian Times, have been deployed along the Ladakh border in response to the Chinese PLA’s Xinjiang Military Command fielding new artillery systems, including the PCL-181, PCL-161, and PHL-03 MLRS.

Mahindra Defence is building 120 BAE Systems’ M777 light-weight howitzers in India, and three regiments of the gun have been deployed near the India-China border. Bharat Forge has developed towed and truck-mounted guns such as Bharat 52 and MSG 155.

But, of late, India’s artillery modernization program has hit numerous roadblocks. The 155mm/45-calibre Dhanush and 155mm/52-calibre Advanced Towed Artillery Gun System (ATAGS) have suffered a series of setbacks.

The successful firing of Dhanush guns on March 8 means that all decks have been cleared for its induction.

Meanwhile, the ATAGS, being developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) along with private firms Bharat Forge and TATA Power SED, is set to undergo its last round of test-firing that will begin in March.

Dhanush is a towed howitzer with a strike range of 38 km, developed on the basis of the first phase of the ToT deal under the Bofors contract of the late 1980s.

The Indian Army had ordered 114 x Dhanush guns in 2019 with the production beginning in the same year. The induction of Dhanush into the Army commenced in April 2019 but an inquiry by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) found that the ‘Wire Race Roller Bearings’ of the six Dhanush guns supplied to the Army had ‘not’ passed the quality tests at the Guns Carriage Factory (GCF), Jabalpur, and production was halted.

During the trial by the Directorate General of Quality Assurance (DGQA) in mid-November 2020, the recoil system of the gun failed. Between 2019 and 2021, only 12 of the long-range Dhanush guns have been delivered to the Army.

While the ATAGS is a towed 155 mm/52-caliber howitzer that can fire the Extended Range Sub-Bore Boat Tail (ERFB BT) ammunition at a range of 35 km and the ERFB BB (Base Bleed) ammunition at a range of 45 km.

The ATAGS can fire five rounds in a minute as compared to the legendary Bofors FH-77 and the rest of the guns in the world that can fire only three.

The ATAGS project started in 2012 and has been getting delayed due to its failure to meet the parameters set out by the Indian Army. During an evaluation trial in September 2020, the ATAGS suffered an accident of its barrel burst that left four soldiers injured.

Officials say the complete order for 150 modern ATAGS guns is likely to be completed only by 2026, which may still be ambitious. Bharat Forge and TATA Power SED will get orders, with the lowest bidder reportedly getting the largest share — 60 percent or more.

For almost two years now, Indian and Chinese troops have been locked in a border standoff in eastern Ladakh, at an elevation of about 15,000 feet above sea level and amid freezing temperatures.

In that context, India is ramping up its artillery to meet the challenges of ‘maneuver warfare’ or ‘fluid’ warfare’, which involves difficult ground movement by an infantry battalion in a rugged landscape with support of precise firepower capable of destroying enemy bunkers and hideouts that can otherwise disrupt this movement.

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