India, on 8 April, offered the indigenous Akash air defence missile system to the UAE, even as the two countries decided to step-up their bilateral defence cooperation in fields ranging from military exercises and training exchanges to defence-industrial collaboration, joint projects, R&D and technology transfer.

The offer for the Akash system, which can intercept hostile aircraft, helicopters, drones and subsonic cruise missiles at a range of 25-km, was made at the delegation-level meeting between defence minister Rajnath Singh and the visiting Dubai crown prince and UAE deputy PM Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum.

This is in keeping with India’s ongoing thrust to export the Akash system, Pinaka multi-launch rocket systems and the BrahMos supersonic cruise missile to “friendly countries”, especially in the Gulf and Asean regions.

While India has already exported BrahMos coastal batteries to the Philippines, Armenia has become the first foreign customer for the Akash, Pinaka and 155mm artillery guns.

India and the UAE at the meeting acknowledged that bilateral defence cooperation needs to be scaled up to match the progress made in other areas such as trade and business, in line with “the vision and determination of the two leaders”, PM Narendra Modi and UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.

The two leaders “identified training exchanges as one of the key areas of defence cooperation which would enable understanding of each other’s defence ecosystems and accelerate strengthening of bilateral defence ties,” an official said.

The two sides decided that close collaboration between their defence industries should be an integral part of the bilateral cooperation and discussed opportunities for enhancing partnerships in defence manufacturing.

They welcomed the India-UAE Defence Partnership Forum, which has the potential to result in strategic joint ventures and co-production projects benefiting the two countries. “They also agreed to focus on complementarities in the Make-in-India and Make-in-Emirates initiatives,” the official said.

Significantly, apart from bilateral military exercises and initiatives, India and UAE have also teamed up with France to collaborate in a trilateral framework launched in 2022 in several areas including defence, technology, energy and environment, in tune with an ambitious roadmap chalked out by them.

In the military arena, the three countries, in December last year, had conducted a major air combat exercise “Desert Knight” over the Arabian Sea to strengthen trilateral defence cooperation and enhance military interoperability amid the ongoing geopolitical churn.

The navies of the three countries had also conducted their first-ever maritime partnership exercise to hone their combat skills against traditional as well as non-traditional threats through a wide spectrum of operations on the high seas in June 2023.

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As part of Army’s artillery modernisation project, additions are being made to have longer range of rockets, loitering ammunition, UAVs with greater endurance besides newer indigenous guns. Artillery consists of guns, rockets, missiles and Unmanned Aerial Vehicles. It launches munitions far beyond the range and power of infantry firearms.

The Field Artillery Rationalization Plan, drawn up in 1999, talks about acquiring 2,800 guns by 2027.  Meeting these numbers could take up to a decade or more from now.

All Gun systems procured in the last five years or being procured, apart from Ultra-Light Howitzer, are indigenous Gun Systems being manufactured in India.

The plan talks about having all guns at same level — 155 mm. These includes 1,580 towed guns, 814 truck-mounted guns, 100 tracked self-propelled guns,180 wheeled self-propelled guns and 145 ultra-light howitzers.

Last year on emergency procurement basis, the Ministry of Defence okayed purchase of loitering ammunition for Army. These are set to be delivered now. Loitering ammunition can remain in the air for a specified period, do surveillance of targets and strike when directed from ground.

Among the multiple type of guns being inducted, include the Advanced Towed Artillery Gun System (ATAGS), the Sharang, ULH, Vajra and Dhanush.

The firing trials of ATAGS have gone off well. The field evaluation trials have been completed. Tata and Bharat Forge, the two manufacturers of the DRDO designed gun are ready to start production – some 170 are expected to be made in the first batch. The Director General Quality Assurance (DGQA) is testing its efficacy against dust, rains, mould etc. In another two months things should move ahead.

The Ultra Light Howtizers – in all 145 imported from US—are being inducted steadily. Seven regiments – 18 guns in each – of ULH have been inducted and deployed.

Sharang – the 130 MM gun that is being up-gunned to 155 MM – has three operational regiments, one more is on the way. In all 300 guns are to be up-gunned. The current speed of up-gunning is two regiments per year. We need to speed up to do three regiments per year.

The success of the K9 Vajra gun – that runs of tank-style tracks – in eastern Ladakh has led to the MoD okaying the purchase of 100 more such guns. Originally the gun was made for the desert sector; its adaption for Himalayan winter includes batteries that work in cold and lubricants that don’t freeze.

The first regiment of Dhanush has been deployed, the second one is expected by March 2023.

The future of long artillery includes long-range rockets. A 75 km range guided rockets that can fire from Pinaka launcher are to be inducted. The multi-barrel ‘Smerch’ can fire for 90 km range. The DRDO has been asked to work at rocket that can fire 125 km.

One of the four Pinaka regiments have been inducted along Northern borders. Six more Pinaka regiments have been contracted and delivery was expected soon and would be equipped with electronic and mechanical weapon system capable of firing variety of ammunition over longer ranges.

With long range rockets being inducted, aerial surveillance is need to find targets. The Army is looking for vertically launched drones with 80 km range. The system will direct fire in enemy areas including beyond visual range.

Make in India Initiative

The modernisation of the Artillery of the Indian Army has gathered momentum with several important projects in the pipeline. And guns made in India are now being operationalised in the high altitude areas along the northern borders and along Line of Control.

The focus of this whole process has been on indigenisation under the Make in India initiative, this means now all the gun systems being used by the Indian Army in the last five years have been designed and developed in the country except the Ultra-Light Howitzer.

Dhanush

In 2019, the Indian Army had signed a deal to procure 114 Dhanush 155 mm/45-calibre towed howitzers. By March 2023 the Army is expected to induct the second regiment of this gun.

These guns which have a strike range of 38 km have already been inducted in the Indian Army which has got 18 of them so far. These guns which were manufactured at the erstwhile Jabalpur-based Gun Carriage Factory (GCF), at a cost of Rs 14.50 crore, and each shell at Rs 1 lakh, are already active along the borders of China and Pakistan.

With this gun Indian Army’s fire power has been augmented and paved the way for development of private gun manufacturing industry in India. The factory already has Bulk Production Clearance (BPC) for the production of 114 Dhanush, country’s first indigenous 155mm x 45 calibre artillery gun.

Before induction the gun had undergone trials and tests under extreme conditions in different phases in terrains like Leh, Sikkim, Balasore, Odisha, and Babina in Jhansi.

So far the indigenous material in this gun is around 90 percent and the private as well as public sector has been part of this project and these include: SAIL, BEL and OFB. The Indian Army, Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and DGQA are all part of this project.

This gun has been mechanically and electronically upgraded on the basis of the first phase of Transfer of Technology (ToT) deal under the Bofors contract of the 1980s.

K-9 Vajra

Amidst the ongoing border standoff between the troops of Indian and Chinese armies since May 2020 in eastern Ladakh, the K9-Vajra self-propelled howitzer which weighs around 50 tonnes has been deployed by the Indian Army. These guns which are capable of firing 47-kg of bomb at the higher altitude have been deployed to help the Army to strengthen its position against the enemy.

So far 100 K9 Vajra gun systems have been inducted and recently, DAC headed by defence minister Rajnath Singh has already given its approval for procurement of additional 100 K9 Vajra. And the process is set rolling and the Request for Proposal is going to be sent out soon.

Since these guns are already inducted in the army, there will be no further trials, now the vendor just has to submit the commercial bid and based on that the cost negotiations will take place.

These 155mm/52 calibre guns which have a striking capability of 50 km have been made at the Armoured Systems Complex of Larsen and Toubro (L&T) located in Gujarat. It is under the ‘Make in India’ initiative at a cost of Rs 4,500 crore.

In 2017, L&T had won the Rs 4,500-crore contract to supply 100 units of K9 Vajra under the ‘Make in India’ initiative for which it signed a transfer of technology contract with South Korean company Hanwha Corporation. According to L&T, K9 Vajra are delivered with more than 80 per cent indigenous work packages and above 50 per cent indigenisation (by value) at the programme level.

Sharang

This 130 mm gun system with a life and technology enhancement has a better accuracy, range, and consistency corroborating Indigenous Defence Capability.

The Army is getting prepared to get the 4th Regiment. The total volume required is 300 and this is expected to be completed in a year’s time. The source added that 15 Regiments are to be equipped with the Sharangs.

Pinaka Weapon System

The indigenous more advanced Pinaka weapon systems are in offing. A contract for six more regiments have been signed by the Army and soon the delivery will start. And these six regiments are going to be equipped with mechanically and electronically improved weapon systems which are capable of firing different ammunition over longer ranges.

The Army depends on Grad Multi Barrel Rocket launchers. Presently it has five regiments and Smerch which has been procured from Russia. But, the indigenous Pinaka has been a great success, not only in terms of launchers but also in bouquet of ammunition.

There will be trials for extended range of the Pinaka and the plan is to increase its range. With the help of the DRDO the Army is exploring the possibility of extending the range to 100-125 kms.

In response to Chinese positioning of its artillery, the Indian Army has deployed one regiment of the Pinaka Rocket System along the Line of Actual Control in the northern borders.

ATAGS

These are in the advanced stages of trials. And have been designed and developed through a partnership between DRDO and the domestic industry. This system has many firsts to its credit, said the source. It has a 25 litre chamber, long range, and sustained and rapid rates of fire. The user trials so far have been satisfactory and few procedural issues are in the midst of being taken care of.

Ultra-Light Howitzers M777

These have already been validated in the Ladakh and Arunachal Pradesh regions. So far there are no plans to procure more of these Ultra-Light Howitzers. So far India bought 145 ULH at US $ 750 million from the US to address specific operational requirements in specific sectors especially in the high altitude areas of northern borders and other tough terrains. These 155 mm/39-caliber M777 howitzers have a range of up to 30km. And they are capable of carrying out  strikes at ranges of over 40 km in some areas.

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Enhanced range Pinaka rockets were test-fired at Balasore and Pokhran over the past few weeks, with munitions manufactured by Nagpur-based Economic Explosives Limited (EEL) meeting all user requirements. Rockets made by state- owned Munitions India Limited (MIL) too passed the trials, sources said.

The Army is now likely to go ahead with the procurement of these indigenous rockets, with the order being divided between EEL and MIL. The enhanced Pinakas have a range of over 45 km, up from legacy rockets that can strike targets at a range of 37 km. Sources said that over 120 rockets were test fired by the army to validate all technical requirements.

They have been developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), with technology being shared with the industry. This is the first time that rockets produced by the private sector have been accepted for service, since defence manufacturing has been opened to non-governmental players. The army has a large requirement for rockets of this class, which is pegged at over 1,000 units annually.

“The project showcases that the private sector can deliver when it comes to the Atmanirbhar Bharat vision. This has been possible with the continuous guidance of DRDO and hand-holding by the Army,” Satyanarayan Nuwal, EEL Chairman told ET.

In the past, munitions of this class have either been imported or have been manufactured by the public sector, which could never completely meet annual requirements of the armed forces. As reported, the armed forces have been looking at creating alternate sources for munitions to reduce dependency on state owned units that have had a mixed track record. Industry estimates peg that privately manufactured munitions of different varieties be significantly cheaper than fixed pricing offered by state owned entities.

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As many as 24 rockets were fired for different ranges and different warhead capabilities to meet the objectives of accuracy and consistency.

After the series of trials, the Pinaka-ER missile and its ancillary systems (Area Denial Munitions and indigenously developed fuzes) is now ready for series production by the industry partner, the Ministry of Defence has said.

The system has been designed by DRDO Laboratory Armament Research and Development Establishment (ARDE) along with High Energy Materials Research Laboratory (HEMRL), Pune, the technology has been transferred to the Indian industry.

The industry partner has manufactured Pinaka-ER with DRDO’s help during the production and quality assurance processes. In continuation of the Transfer of Technology, rockets developed by the industry have undergone performance evaluation and quality certification process.

Pinaka Mk-1, which has a range of 37.5 km, is currently in service of the Indian Army and multiple regiments of the system have been deployed in the past. Pinaka-ER, which is an upgraded version of the Pinaka Mk-1, has a range of 45 km and some additional features.

Pinaka – ER is the upgraded version of the earlier version of Pinaka which has been in service with the Indian Army for the last decade. The system has been designed in the light of emerging requirements with advanced technologies enhancing the range.

The trials of Area Denial Munition (ADM) designed by the ARDE for Pinaka and manufactured by the industry partners under technology transfer were part of performance evaluation under technology absorption. ADMs are a category of ammunition used to prohibit the adversary from occupying or passing through a particular area. At the same time, indigenously-developed proximity fuzes for Pinaka rockets have also been tested. The ARDE has developed different fuzes for Pinaka rockets for different types of applications. After design validation trials, performance of these fuzes has been evaluated with flight testing.

The DRDO said these indigenously developed fuzes will replace the imported fuzes. The ARDE has also designed miniaturised fuzes for ADMs. During the same set of trials, the performance of dual-purpose Direct-Action Self Destruction (DASD) and Anti-Tank Munition (ATM) fuzes were evaluated and the results were satisfactory.

In the battlefield, long-range artillery systems like Pinaka are used for attacking the adversary targets prior to close quarter battles which involve smaller range artillery, armoured elements and the infantry.

The development of the Pinaka was started by the DRDO in the late 1980s, as an alternative to the multi barrel rocket launching systems of Russian make called like the ‘Grad’, which are still in use. After successful tests of Pinaka, it was first used in the battlefield during the Kargil war of 1999 quite successfully. Subsequently, multiple regiments of the system came up over the 2000s.

Pinaka MBRL can fire a salvo of 12 rockets over a period of 44 seconds. One battery of Pinaka system consists of six launch vehicles, accompanied by the loader systems, radar and links with network based systems and a command post. One battery can neutralise an area one km by one km. While Pinaka Mk-1 has a range of 37.5 km and Pinaka-ER of 45 km, the Pinaka Mk-II has a range of 60 km. The guided version of the Pinaka has also been developed and tested multiple times and has a range of 75 km. An extended range version of the Pinaka Mk-II and Pinaka Mk-III are also said to be under development.

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Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) in a statement said that successful tests of Pinaka Extended Range (Pinaka-ER), Area Denial Munitions (ADM) and indigenously developed fuzes have been carried out at various test ranges.

The system is jointly designed by laboratories of DRDO – Armament Research & Development Establishment (ARDE), Pune and High Energy Materials Research Laboratory (HEMRL), Pune.

The DRDO, after establishing the performance efficacy of the enhanced range Pinaka, transferred the technology of the system to the industry.

The Industry Partner has manufactured enhanced Pinaka Mk-1 rockets with DRDO’s hand holding during the production and Quality Assurance.

In continuation of the Transfer of Technology absorption, rockets developed by the industry have undergone the performance evaluation and quality certification process.

The hand holding during the production, quality assurance and launch coordination for bulk production is being provided by the DRDO design team and quality assurance agencies nominated for the system.

The DRDO, along with the Army, conducted series of performance evaluation trials of these industry produced rockets at Field Firing Ranges in the last three days. In these trials, enhanced range Pinaka rockets were test fired at different ranges with various warhead capabilities.

All the trial objectives were met satisfactorily. A total of 24 rockets were fired for different ranges and warhead capabilities to meet the objectives of accuracy and consistency.

With this, the initial phase of technology absorption of Pinaka-ER by the Industry Partner has successfully been completed making the Industry Partner ready for series production of the rocket system.

The Pinaka-ER is the upgraded version of earlier Pinaka version which has been in service with the Indian Army for the last decade.

The system has been designed in the light of emerging requirements with advanced technologies enhancing the range.

The Area Denial Munition (ADM) variants of munition designed by the ARDE, Pune for Pinaka and manufactured by the industry partners under technology transfer were successfully carried out at Pokhran Field Firing Ranges. These trials are part of performance evaluation under technology absorption.

The indigenously-developed proximity fuzes for Pinaka rockets have also been tested. The ARDE, Pune has developed different fuzes for Pinaka rocket for different types of applications. After design validation trials, dynamic performance evaluation of these fuzes have been evaluated with flight testing. Consistency in performance of fuzes has been established in consecutive flight trials.
These have been developed through dedicated indigenous Research and Development efforts for the first time in the country. These indigenously developed fuzes will replace the imported fuzes and save foreign exchange.

The ARDE has also designed miniaturised fuzes for ADMs. Performance of dual-purpose Direct-Action Self Destruction (DASD) and Anti-Tank Munition (ATM) fuzes were evaluated during the current flight trials and the results were satisfactory.
All the mission objectives were successfully in all the above trials.

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