SP's Land Forces 4/2021 - 195th Gunners Day Special

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SP’s

August-September 2021

Military 2020 – Yearbook

2021

Volume 18 No. 4

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195 th Gunners Day Special

ROUNDUP

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The ONLY magazine in Asia-Pacific dedicated to Land Forces

>> Lead Story

In This Issue Page 4 New Age Artillery

Photograph: NorthernComd_IA / Twitter

‘Ultima Ratio Regum’ meaning ‘The Final Argument of Kings’. Louis XIV of France had this phrase engraved on his army’s cannons.

Major General Atanu K. Pattanaik Page 6 Indian Artillery Modernisation

Field Artillery Rationalisation Plan (FARP) aims to replace the weapons of 169 artillery regiments with modern weapon systems procuring 3,000 to 3,600 pieces of artillery at a cost of $3 billion.

Lt General P.C. Katoch (Retd) Page 8 Developments in Artillery

In the NCW environment, artillery is required to shape the battlefield, degrade the enemy’s war-waging capability, destroy enemy’s field defences, communication sites and logistics echelons, thereby paralysing the enemy to accomplishing own mission.

Lt General P.C. Katoch (Retd) Plus News in Brief / Appointments

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Indian Artillery thundering in the mountains. Role of Artillery is critical in providing long range fire support in the Tactical Battlefield Area.

Indian Artillery — An Appraisal This is to reappraise the role of Artillery Division given the ongoing transformation of the combat forces from Divisions to Integrated Battle Groups (IBGs), the changing nature of threat from across the borders, defence of Island territories and theaterisation.  Lt General Dushyant Singh (Retd)

Introduction “Artillery is the god of war.” — Joseph Stalin Russia is probably today the leader in Artillery Systems because the US started ignoring the development of Artillery after the demise of the Cold War due to over reliance on Air Force and attack helicopters.

The nature of wars fought by it in the past

two decades in the Middle East (ME) and Afghanistan were to combat terrorism also contributed to the neglect of artillery by the US. While conducting counter terrorism and military campaigns in the ME and Afghanistan it enjoyed overwhelming air superiority and therefore found it more convenient and effective to employ air power against the adversaries. However, with reemergence of Russia as a threat to the West-

ern interests in Europe and also the belligerent attitude of China in the Indo-Pacific, US is feeling the need to revive the “God of War” the Artillery. The availability of S-400 and S-500 with Russia, China and now even Turkey, a near peer conflict scenario has become a reality. In the case of India, the conflict scenario has always remained near peer and hybrid in nature. Balakot air strike is a recent example of this form

4/2021 SP’s Land Forces

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Lead Story

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E D I T O R I A L

>> Lead Story The Gunners celebrate their raising day on September 28 & thus this issue of SP’s Land Forces is dedicated to the Regiment of Artillery of Indian Army.

SP Guide Publications wishes the Army Very Best on the occasion of its Regiment of Artillery’s 195th raising day. We feel that the combat capability is not only building state-of-art hardware but also with personnel who are manning the weapon systems (man behind the weapon) and are prepared to carry out every sacrifice for the nation. ‘Gunners are on Target-Always and Everywhere’ with their motto ‘Sarvatra, Izzat-o-Iqbal’ (Everywhere with Honour and Glory) which says it all.

The lead article appraises the Indian Artillery with special reference to the Artillery Division. The

of warfare albeit of a very localised nature.

Further the mountainous terrain in which we are likely to see conflict either with China and partially along the Pak border necessitates uninterrupted close fire support of a precise, responsive and lethal nature to fill the gap between the Air Power and Integral Fire Support of the ground forces. Availability of Artillery Division perfectly fits the bill to bridge this gap.

Threat Environment The threat today is rapidly veering towards Grey Zone but the scope for a conventional war continues to remain especially in the case of India-China or an India-Pakistan confrontation. Even if China and Pakistan are indulging in dubious (read grey zone & terrorism) warfare, the Indian response may lead to a conventional or a hybrid conflict be it with China and or Pakistan. While China has the edge over us, we enjoy an advantage over the Pakistanis in overall combat power.

But the conflict environment will be near peer with either of them. Therefore, ability of the air power to provide air cover will remain at premium given the contested nature of the air space. Contested nature of air space and the terrain in the Himalayas from Jammu & Kashmir to Arunachal, means the role of artillery would be crucial to success in war especially at the operational level.

The threat will be even more complex than in the past due to the hybrid component which will be injected by both the adversaries. Also Indian Air Power is nowhere near the Chinese in terms of numbers. Against a requirement of 42 Squadrons we are holding only 33 Squadrons. Also, over the next decade, 14 squadrons of MiG-21, 27 and 29 will retire from the IAF fleet, leaving only 19 squadrons by 2027 and 16 by 2032. Since the role of artillery will be critical in provision of long range fire support in the Tactical Battlefield Area (TBA), presence of Artillery Division at the theatre level equipped with rockets, short range missiles, Multi Barrel Rocket Launchers and Self Propelled guns (plains)/towed Howitzers of heavy calibre, for the mountains would be essential. Also, speed of operations due to tsunami in warfare technologies, the current and future wars will demand integration of drones, space based surveillance and real time communication systems between the shooter sensor platforms as part of the artillery division. C2ISR systems utilising artificial intelligence will also need to be introduced to take the artillery support to the next level.

In order to reorganise and re-equip the Artillery Divisions it would be relevant to examine the status of artillery of major military powers including our adversaries.

author stresses that the role of artillery will be critical in provision of long range fire support in the Tactical Battlefield Area thus the presence of Artillery Division at the theatre level equipped with a mix of suitable artillery platforms would be essential. He then gives a brief overview of the developments of global artillery. He feels that the US has grossly neglected artillery support in its organisation but the US having a global reach through its expeditionary forces, have always preferred air power both for fire support & air defence. Russia is probably the world leader as far as modernisation of artillery and rocket support is concerned. China follows Russia in the development of long range artillery fire power.

Through the article titled ‘New Age Artillery’, the author

dwells on the future challenges for the artillery & possible solutions. He reiterates on two vital lessons: one, endeavour to achieve a degree of military self-reliance; two, the force structuring of which artillery is a key element must squarely respond to the challenges of technology enabled hybrid warfare. The new age artillery in hybrid warfare will revolve around drones, missiles and long-range shoot and scoot guns and rocket systems.

Drone warfare capabilities provide game-changing potential on realworld battlefields.

Indian Artillery is progressing well & a brief on its modernisation plans have been given by the author in the article on Artillery Modernisation. The author emphasised that the artillery will continue to remain vital

State of US Artillery

State of Russian Artillery

If there is any country that has grossly neglected artillery support in its organisation, it is the US Defence Forces. Since 2001, it has been involved in wars in Iraq, Syria and Afghanistan. In all these conflict zones it relied heavily on air power for surveillance, detection and targeting. Even the boots on ground for close combat with the terrorists were mainly proxy forces such as Iraqi Defence Forces, Afghan Defence Forces, terror groups especially in Syria and Private Military Contractors (PMCs). It has not intervened actively in the European theatre opposing the Russian operations against the East European countries such as Ukraine, Georgia or Crimea thus avoiding direct air combat with the Russians. The US Air Force has unfettered and unhindered access to enemy targets due to lack of adequate air defence systems by their adversaries in other conflict zone. These reasons have led to the US and Western artillery forces becoming a laggard especially in comparison to Russia.

For example the US Army is still holding the vintage M109A6 “Paladin”, with a firing range of 22 km with awfully slow firing rate of one round per minute without any simultaneous multi round targeting. On the other hand the latest Russian artillery system, the 2S35 Koalitsiya-SV, has a firing range of 40 km (unassisted) and a rate of fire estimated to be between nine and 16 rounds per minute. This gap in capability can be filled up by some European Artillery systems such as the German PzH2000 and the French CESAR but this is not enough to give it a winning advantage in artillery duals. Fortunately, the planners in the US have realised the yawning gap in firepower capability and are making amends to develop their artillery support both quantitatively and qualitatively but whether they will go in for third line artillery support in the form of Artillery Divisions is not very clear.

Russia is probably the world leader as far as modernisation of artillery and rocket support is concerned. Artillery reform in Russia involves an experiment to increase the effectiveness of the Missile and Artillery Troops (Raketnyye Voyska i Artilleriya— RV&A) by developing new artillery models or modernising existing systems as well as restructuring units and integrating these into the unified information space. Some of this process draws on Russian experience of artillery use in Syria and recent tests in September 16-21 strategic-operational exercise Tsentr 2019. Tsentr 2019 focussed on the use of UAVs, modern communication, C2, EW Systems, use of airborne assault forces, strategic mobility and more importantly integration of artillery into Reconnaissance - Fire Systems. The Syrian experience with D-30 and 2A65 MstaB howitzers validated that towed artillery systems had an edge over those mounted on tracked chassis.

In the Russian Artillery Units, Artillery support involves receiving target information from forward-spotters and UAVs, with all this transmitted in real time using the Strelets intelligence management and communications complex (Kompleks Razvedk i Upravleniyai Svyazi—KRUS). This was tried and tested in Syria. The aim of the artillery support model being developed involves uniting all units and sub-units operating on the battlefield with automated C2 reporting identified targets; the information is gathered from UAVs and electronic intelligence equipment.

As far as equipping of the Artillery forces is concerned, the Russian Army is going in for a mix of new and legacy systems. The new system includes Koalitsiya-SV a self-propelled howitzers, 2S19M2 Msta-S as well as the multiple launch rocket systems (MLRS) Tornado-S and Uragan-M. Amongst the systems being taken up for upgrade are: longrange 2S7 Peon and super-heavy 2S4 Tyulpan mortars, 2S1 Akatsiya, 2S3 Gvozdika or the 2S19, MLRS Uragan, Grad and 203mm SP Malka. Even Krasnopol guided munitions which was shelved in the 90s is being reintroduced. Experts and Ultransmash, the company that has modernised and upgraded the 203mm SP (50 km range backed by advanced fire control system) claims that it is the most powerful system in the world.

Due to number of reasons the Indian Artillery is lagging behind the Pakistani Artillery in terms of numbers and quality especially if we factor the two-front deployment of India

The Russian Concept of Artillery Fire Support The concept of new artillery support system that the Russian Defence Forces want to establish envisages, the artillery installations working in a single whole with other artil-

to armies because of the four core functions it can fulfill in the modern battle-space: one, suppression of enemy fires or counter-battery fires; two, striking high-value targets; three, breaking up enemy force concentrations, and; four, providing fire support for assaulting troops and in manoeuvre warfare.

This issue as usual ends with a brief news digest & flag postings. Wish you a joyful Dussehra & even more joyful Diwali.

Happy Reading!

Jayant Baranwal Publisher & Editor-in-Chief

lery systems, with multiple rocket launchers and field artillery systems, (they will) deliver high-precision crushing blows with their entire arsenal.” Gerasimov has explained this concept very beautifully in his address to Academy of Military Sciences in 2018 as follows, “In order to ensure the speed and continuity of the fire impact on the enemy, reconnaissance-strike and reconnaissancefire complexes are being created. The integration of reconnaissance-information and information-control systems with weapons systems of military branches and arms is being carried out,”…At the same time, the accuracy of the strike (using high-precision weaponry) will be 1.5–2 times (better).”

The Structural Modifications Artillery Regiments are configured in support of Battalion and Brigade level. The structure of the divisions of heavy-duty artillery systems of the Russian Armed Forces will include UAVs. Further, digitisation of highpowered artillery control systems will be an important element in the rearmament of the Ground Forces. The Sensor-Shooter network will be a single system thus reducing the response time by almost three to five times.

The Indian Army needs to learn lesson from this as we have recently regrouped the UAVs under from Artillery Divisions to the Aviation Corps which may lead to avoidable delays in artillery fires on enemy targets due to Sensor - Shooter delays caused by possible coordination, communication and allocation issues.

Chinese God of War If any country that has taken the long range artillery fire power dimensions seriously after Russia that is China. Liu Xuanzun writing in the Global Times on July 28, 2021 has mentioned, “Two of the latest Chinese artillery weapons recently made their exercise debuts in plateau regions organised by the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Xinjiang Military Command and Tibet Military Command. The equipment is probably PLZ-07 an armoured, tracked based system and is claimed to be effective in special terrains found in Tibet and Xinjiang. The other weapon is probably similar to the PHL-11 self-propelled multiple rocket launcher system, as both use a wheeled chassis and fire 122-millimetre-caliber rockets type. However, the new rocket artillery only runs on four wheels and has 20 rocket launch tubes, while the PHL-11 runs on six wheels and has 40 launch tubes. Defence analysts are saying that these weapons are particularly effective on the plateau. Which probably implies more trouble for India?

Continued on page 7...

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>> Artillery

New Age Artillery ‘Ultima Ratio Regum’ meaning ‘The Final Argument of Kings’. Louis XIV of France had this phrase engraved on his army’s cannons.

Photograph: PIB

 Major General Atanu K. Pattanaik

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A

ccurate, relentless and unforgiving, the guns had blazed day and night in the summer of 1999, reducing the formidable bunkers on the lofty heights of Kargil to rubble. Established clandestinely by Pakistani intruders led by the Northern Light Infantry (NLI) during the deep winters the previous year when the posts are traditionally vacated, the Indian Army had been taken by surprise. The Indian Artillery fired over 2,50,000 rounds of all types from 300 different types of guns and MBRL including 9,000 on the day the ‘Tiger Hill’ was recaptured. Such ferocity of shelling only happened previously during the WW II, when Joseph Stalin had famously said ‘Artillery is the God of War’.

The Kargil war gave us a graphic account of what Stalin meant.

Bofors was the star of the show. The importance of light weight, agile, medium range gun systems as the bulwark in the mountains along the LC and LoC was proven beyond doubt. Yet it took another 17 long years before the deal for 155mm M777 Ultra-Light Howitzers was signed in 2017.

After more than 30 years, the Bofors ghost has ultimately been exorcised from the psyche of officials in the procurement loop.

Operationally, the M777 Ultra-light Howitzer is a major force multiplier. Its light weight of about 4,000 kg gives it strategic mobility in mountains. It is the only gun of its class which can be heli-lifted or air-ported, either under-slung or strapped within. With other inductions like the 155mm 45 calibre Dhanush gun and 155mm 52 calibre self-propelled tracked K9 Vajra gun there is a new lethal dimension shaping our Artillery to prosecute the future wars.

Before we proceed further, it is necessary to broadly capture the shape of future wars.

The chaotic US withdrawal and the swift fall of Kabul to the Taliban in Afghanistan indicates that there is a discernible shift from the conventional warfare of the last century to hybrid wars and the emphatic emergence of non-state actors who have demonstrated resilience and potency to unhinge traditional combat power of the first order. The mighty war machinery of the US doesn’t look as formidable as they appeared to be before this event of August 15, 2021. Nor does the reliability of military coalitions hold promise as assuredly as before, considering that President Biden has taken the decision for a swift pull-out unilaterally without consulting his NATO allies whose troops and civilians were left fending for themselves. Two vital lessons emerge.

One, force structuring of which artillery is an indispensable cog must squarely respond to the challenges of technology enabled hybrid warfare. Two, it is imperative that we achieve a degree of military self-reliance as a first principle of security doctrine.

The new age artillery in hybrid warfare will revolve around drones, missiles and long-range shoot and scoot guns and rocket systems. Drone warfare capabilities provide game-changing potential on realworld battlefields. A trend towards AI-based autonomous systems and swarming will bring masses of drones into the battlespace.

Drones integrate sensor technology with precision strike effectors and communications. The 44-day war over the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh (2020) pro-

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SP’s Land Forces 4/2021

Agni missile being test fired. The new age artillery in hybrid warfare will revolve around drones, missiles and long-range shoot and scoot guns and rocket systems.

vides a foretaste of the decisive impact that these capabilities are able to exert on the outcome of a war. In this case, Azerbaijan was able to reconquer lost territories from Armenia/Artsakh by military means even after a long period of time and against an entrenched and militarily well-prepared opponent. Drone warfare capabilities, provided to Azerbaijan primarily by Turkey, proved to be the decisive offensive gamechanger for Azerbaijan. Experiences from hybrid warfare battlefields in Ukraine, Syria, Libya and Yemen underline the growing importance and effectiveness of these systems, particularly for hybrid warfare actors.

The current stand-off with China in eastern Ladakh has brought to light India’s dire need for indigenous drone systems against a country that has become one of the world’s largest exporters of armed UAVs. Important strides have been made in this field by India. A swarm of drones had covered the parade ground during the Army Day parade on January 15 this year showcasing its new unmanned warfare tactics for the first time.

Referred to as ‘swarm drones’, the tactic of unleashing a number of UAVs at the same time can wreak havoc, since jammers and radars fail to detect multiple drones and see the ‘swarm’ as just one big object. Also, in January this year, an order for indigenous Switch UAVs meant for day and night surveillance of high-altitude areas has been

Missiles will continue to occupy a prime space in deterrence is amply clear from the trepidation with which China has reacted to another test firing of our nuclear capable 5,000 kms range Agni V

placed with ideaForge. This UAV weighs 6.5 kg and has a range of 15 km with a flight time of up to two hours. This Fixed Wing VTOL (Vertical Take-off and Landing) UAV can be deployed at high altitude and harsh environments for day and night surveillance in Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) missions.

The Jammu drone attack has also revealed that detecting and neutralising drones is a massive challenge. The Indian Navy has already opted for Israeli anti-drone Smash 2000 system fitted on a rifle and can be used to bring down drones. The system recognises, tracks and engages targets in the air with precision. The Indian Army has recently developed its own anti-drone capabilities without depending on other manufacturers. With these systems and other anti-drone capabilities like jammers manufactured by the Indian Army to detect and bring down quad copters, preparations are on for artificial intelligencebased warfare. The enhanced quadcopter jamming system has a range of 3.5 km and has already been deployed at various locations along the Line of Control (LoC).

That missiles will continue to occupy a prime space in deterrence is amply clear from the trepidation with which China has reacted to another test firing of our nuclear capable 5,000 kms range Agni V. India has in its armoury the Agni missile series - Agni-1 with a range of 700 km, Agni-2 with a range of 2,000 km, Agni-3 and Agni-4 with 2,500 km to more than 3,500 km range. On June 24, 2021 we conducted the 8th trial firing of the Indigenous Technology Cruise Missile (ITCM) Nirbhay, which has a range of 800-1,000 km. A series of military tests and trials are planned, including that of the Ballistic Missile Defence (BMD) shield, an Air-Independent Propulsion (AIP) system for submarines, and drones. The maiden trial of the much delayed 800-km range BrahMos supersonic cruise missile, meanwhile, is scheduled for later part of 2021. The 400km variant of this missile was successfully tested earlier this year. These tests are to be carried out when the BrahMos land-attack

missile is already deployed against China in Ladakh and Arunachal Pradesh.

A word on force structuring. The challenges of hybrid warfare waged without defined borders and frontiers are being slowly but surely being comprehended. This is evident from the activities in the spheres of gun systems, missiles, drone warfare, and missile and drone defence systems. However, the shape of an integrated force structure which can effectively deploy these systems in a real time seamless manner is yet to emerge despite very clear-cut mandate given to the Chief of defence Staff (CDS) due to a variety of institutional roadblocks. The PLA has its integrated theatre commands for over a decade now, constantly rehearsing their command, control and communications systems and tweaking their combat array. The Second Artillery Corps continues to occupy its prime place alongside a resurgent PLA Navy. Time has come to give urgency to shaping our force structure which can effectively fight the hybrid warfare being constantly waged without defined timelines or identifiable trigger events.

On the self-reliance front, the effort in establishment of Defence Corridors or investment conclaves like the Aligarh node of the Uttar Pradesh Defence Industrial Corridor visited by the Prime Minister on September 15, 2021 is a good start point in incentivisation. Start-ups need to be encouraged and incubated to grow. A week earlier, on September 8, 2021 the Cabinet Committee on Security approved the procurement of 56 C295 medium transport aircraft for the Indian Air Force to replace its ageing Avro planes. 16 aircraft will be delivered in a flyaway condition by the Airbus Defence and Space of Spain while the remaining 40 planes will be manufactured in India by a consortium of the Airbus Defence and Space and Tata Advanced Systems Limited (TASL), for the first time veering away from the problem ridden DPSU HAL. Along with maintenance of Rafale aircrafts and production of guns and other weapons and ordnance, the right kind of push for greater participation of the private sector is critical to achieving self-reliance.

The Sino-Indian borders is ideal terrain for hybridised asymmetric war. India has to reimagine its security architecture to meet these challenges squarely on its own. Indian strategists need to get their act together to achieve self-sufficiency in conventional weapon technologies and harness the potential of disruptive technologies. We have a proud ancestry in the field of warfare. Perhaps the Kurukshetra war had witnessed a lot of ancient weaponry which was far more advanced and futuristic than what we possess today. The concept of Astra (Missile) and Dhanush (Launchers) emerged from there. Some Astras returns to the person who launches it, for instance, Krishna’s Sudharsana Chakra. This may be similar to the reusable missiles which the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is working on. A ‘Home-grown New Age Artillery’ is a critical and dominant component of ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’. SP The Author is former Chief of Staff of a frontline Corps in the North East and a former helicopter pilot. The author earlier headed the China & neighbourhood desk at the Defence Intelligence Agency and served as the Chief Humanitarian Officer of UN Mission in Lebanon.

Scaling New Heights

K9 VAJRA-T 155mm / 52 Cal. Tracked Self Propelled Gun

Armoured System Complex, Hazira

Strategic Systems Complex, Talegaon

Precision Manufacturing & Systems Complex, Coimbatore

For more information on our defence systems contact: Defence@Larsentoubro.com Regd. Office: Larsen & Toubro Limited, L&T House, N. M. Marg, Ballard Estate, Mumbai - 400 001, INDIA ON: L99999MH1946PLC004768 The company does not manufacture any explosives or ammunition of any kind, including cluster munitions or anti-personnel landmines or nuclear weapons and also does not customise any delivery systems for such munitions.

>> Modernisation

Indian Artillery Modernisation Field Artillery Rationalisation Plan (FARP) aims to replace the weapons of 169 artillery regiments with modern weapon systems procuring 3,000 to 3,600 pieces of artillery at a cost of $3 billion Photograph: Indian Air Force

Pinaka Rocket System

 Lt General P.C. Katoch (Retd)

T

he Regiment of Artillery, the second largest arm of the Indian Army, celebrated its 195th ‘Gunners Day’ on September 28, 2021.

The day has a special significance for the Regiment of Artillery as the first Indian Artillery Unit, 5 (Bombay) Mountain Battery equipped with 2.5 inch Guns, was raised on this day in 1827, which presently forms part of 57 Field Regiment.

The Artillery Profile 2027 (acquisition plan) was drafted in year 2008 with an outlay of over `20,000 crore, as part of which it aimed at inducting howitzers. But before the Kargil Conflict in 1999, the last induction was only in 1987; 400 pieces Bofors guns. After these 400 pieces were procured, the Bofors Scandal broke out, due to which procurement of all spares and systems were banned. Resultantly, when the Kargil Conflict broke out, the Artillery had to hastily cannibalize these 400 Bofors guns into 100 serviceable guns. With Bofors fire support being one of the major factors in winning the Kargil Conflict, the Indian Army (IA) proposed the Field Artillery Rationalisation Plan (FARP). FARP is a procurement-cumdevelopment plan which involves direct import, manufacture under license and indigenous development of weapon systems.

FARP aimed to replace the weapons of 169 artillery regiments with modern weapon systems, predominantly 155mm medium guns; procuring 3,000 to 3,600 pieces of artillery at a cost of $3 billion to include 1,580 towed, 814 mounted, 180 self-propelled wheeled, 100 self-propelled tracked and 145 ultra-light 155mm/52 calibre artillery guns. But the Bofors deal mired in corruption led to a fear in the civil services, which, combined with political apathy, prevented India from buying heavy guns at least until 2010. How FARP has progressed is described in succeeding paragraphs.

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M777 155 Ultra-Light Howitzers These howitzers from BAE Systems are already being inducted into the Indian Army (IA), but the following would indicate how our slow procurement procedures mired in red-tape and indecision works: l The IA first announced procurement of 145 M777 155 ultra-light Howitzers, which was given the green signal by the US in January 2010. l On May 11, 2012, MoD cleared proposal for buying 145 howitzers for $660 million through the US Government’s Foreign Military Sales (FMS) route, which then went for clearance by the Ministry of Finance (MoF) and then for final approval by the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS). l On August 2, 2013, India requested the US for sale of 145 x M777 howitzers for $885 million. l On May 13, 2015, MoD approved `2,900 crore to buy 145 M777 ultralight howitzers from the US. l On November 30, 2016, MoD completed the deal to buy 145 howitzers from the US. Under the agreement, BAE Systems was to suppy 25 ready-built howitzers, while 120 guns were to be manufactured in India by Mahindra Defence Systems. l On May 18, 2017, the Army received its first shipment comprising two howitzers from BAE Systems on May 18, 2017 at New Delhi.

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SP’s Land Forces 4/2021

Army is likely to face a capability gap when it comes to artillery modernisation

By first week June 2021, the BAE Systems had delivered 59 of the 145 M777 ordered in 2016. The guns are being assembled, integrated and tested in India by Mahindra Defence Systems Limited

Dhanush Dhanush is the first indigenously-built artillery gun developed by the Ordnance Factory Board (OFB) based on transfer of technology (ToT) from Bofors in the 1980s. With a range of 38 km, its automated technology allows three guns to be fired simultaneously at a rate of 42 rounds per hour. The MoD had indented 114 x Dhanush howitzers and more orders were to follow based on its performance. In 2019, the OFB handed over six Dhanush guns to the Army, which was touted as a major success under the ‘Make in India’ initiative. There were reports that OFB was working on the next two versions of the Dhanush gun including a truck-mounted version.

In 2017, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) filed an FIR alleging that a Delhibased company supplied fake and cheap spare parts (bearings) used in the manufacture of Dhanush guns. The FIR said unknown officials of Guns Carriage Factory (GCF), Jabalpur, accepted the Chinese manufactured ‘Wire Race Roller Bearings’ supplied by Sidh Sales Syndicate which were embossed as ‘CRB-Made in Germany’. It has now emerged that the said bearings had ‘not’ passed the tests at the GCF but the six guns handed over to the IA were still fitted with these.

News reports of November 2020 later stated that the Army was looking at inducting another 18 Dhanush guns. However, during the trial by the Directorate General of Quality Assurance (DGQA) at Balasore

The K9 Vajra trials in Ladakh earlier this year were successful. Plans are now reportedly being finalised to order at least two more regiments of the K9 155mm/52 calibre howitzers to be deployed in the mountains.

in mid-November 2020, the gun suffered a failure of the recoil systems. A board of inquiry has been ordered into the incident.

ATAGS The Advanced Towed Artillery Gun System (ATAGS) indigenous 155mm/52 calibre towed gun system is being developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) in conjunction Kalyani Group, Tata Power and OFB to replace older guns. An all-electric drive, high mobility, advanced communications system and automated command and control system are some of the significant features of the ATAGS gun. The MoD had approved a purchase of 150 of these guns at an approximate cost of `3,365 crore.

ATAGS had been undergoing evaluation trials when an accident of barrel burst occurred in September 2020, which left four soldiers injured. While the cause of the failure was being investigated, the next round of trials was expected to be completed this summer. The procurement plans for ATAGS now appears still some time away. Officials say the complete order for 150 modern ATAGS guns is likely to be completed only by 2026, which may still be ambitious.

K9 Vajra-T The K9 Vajra-T is the customised Indian version of K9, a tracked and self-propelled piece of artillery originally developed by Samsung for the South Korean military. In 2017, Larsen & Toubro (L&T) had won the contract from the MoD to supply 100 x K9 Vajra-T 155mm/52 calibre tracked selfpropelled gun systems in 42 months to the Indian Army. 10 x K9 Vajra-T were to be imported from South Korea and balance 90 manufactured at the L&T facility.

The `4,366 crore contract for the Vajra is meant to arm 18 regiments, and replace the 50-year-old 105mm Abbott, which India inherited from the British in 1964. L&T delivered the 100th K9 Vajra to the Indian Army in February 2021 well before the time required.

Rockets and Missiles The rocket regiments of the Artillery are equipped with 122mm GRAD BM-21 rockets, 214mm Pinaka rockets and 300mm Smerch rockets. The missile regiments are equipped with the supersonic cruise missile BrahMos which has a range of 290 km. After India joined the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR) trials for extending the range up to possibly 400 km and beyond are underway.

Originally developed by the DRDO in the 1980s, the Pinaka rocket system was extensively used during the 1999 Kargil conflict.

The initial version of the weapon system was called Mark I, which had a range of 40 km. The upgraded version or Pinaka Mark II has an extended range of 70 to 80 km.

It can carry different types of warheads.

In November 2020, the DRDO successfully tested the enhanced Pinaka rocket from Chandipur off the coast of Odisha.

In August 2020, the MoD signed a contract to supply six Army regiments with Pinaka rocket launchers by 2024, at an approximate cost of `2,580 crore. The contract with the Bharat Earth Movers, Tata Power Company and Larsen & Toubro states that at least 70 per cent indigenous content will be used in the weapon systems. These six more regiments of indigenous Pinaka MBRL System are to be added to existing four, raising the overall number to 10 regiments.

155mm/52 Calibre Towed Howitzer According to media reports of November 2020, the process of acquiring 1,580 towed Howitzers from a foreign supplier were in progress and were at the stage of cost negotiations. The report stated that there are plans to buy 400 ATHOS 2052 (Autonomous Towed Howitzer Ordnance System) guns from Elbit of Israel in a ready-to-use condition, while the remaining 1,180 are to be assembled in India in partnership with Bharat Forge. However, there has been no further news in this regard – whether the final decision has been taken or not.

SATA SATA regiments remain equipped with imported Heron and Searcher UAVs. The indigenous ‘Swati’ weapon locating radar (WLR) is a good addition. 28 x Swati are planned to be inducted.

Current Scene The Dhanush and ATAGS were to be the backbone of the Artillery but both have developed snags that will delay their procurement schedules. Up gunning of the130 mm/39 caliber and 155mm/45 calibre guns is also being addressed but too will take time.

The K9 Vajra trials in Ladakh earlier this year were successful. Plans are now reportedly being finalized to order at least two more regiments of the K9 155mm/52 calibre howitzers to be deployed in the mountains. The Army earlier had no plans to induct additional K9 Vajras in mountains because the M777 lightweight howitzers can reach areas in mountains where the heavier K9 Vajra Howitzers cannot reach.

Besides, The M777 lightweight howitzers can be picked up by helicopters and taken to forward locations in the mountains. These guns have a maximum range of about 40 km with specialized munitions. However, induction of the total required number of M777 ultra-light howitzers will take time.

However, in view of above mentioned reasons, the Army is likely to face a capability gap when it comes to artillery modernisation, with best case scenario calculations showing that a sizeable number of much needed modern howitzers will only arrive by 2026. The government needs to address related issues given that China’s buildup and infrastructure development at and across the LAC continues at fast pace. SP

>> Technology / Radars

All Terrain Multi-Mission Radar Systems

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xtreme terrain operations, including alpine warfare, pose special challenges. In addition to the perils of battle, troops must also contend with punishing weather and geography. Lightning, wind gusts, falling rocks, avalanches, ice, and extreme cold all serve to hinder operations. Ingress and egress via fixed and rotary wing aircraft is either difficult or in many instances, impossible. Vehicle mobility is also impacted, with larger and heavier platforms at a proportionally greater disadvantage as the difficulty of the terrain increases.

The ability to field advanced equipment in difficult remote terrain, especially at high altitudes, calls for smaller, lighter, highly mobile systems that deliver the performance edge. ELTA Systems Ltd., the innovative defence electronics subsidiary of IAI, Israel’s largest defence and aerospace company, has developed compact, state of the art true multi-mission radar systems that are deployable on smaller, lighter and more mobile vehicle platforms to provide decisive C-RAM (counter rocket, artillery and mortar) and Air Defence capabilities to forces operating in extreme terrain at all altitudes. Designed to meet the demands of mountain operations these systems are at an advantage wherever challenging terrain and conditions are encountered.

ELM-2311 Compact Multi-Mission Radar (C-MMR) ELTA’s C-MMR is an advanced 3D radar that employs Active Electronically Steered Array (AESA) and Gallium Nitride (GaN) technologies. The radar is deployed on a single, high mobility (6X6, 8X8) vehicle and operated by only two crew members.

In the Artillery Weapon Location (WLR) mode, the radar detects incoming mortar and artillery shells, rockets and missiles. It

performs Hostile Weapons Location (HWL) and calculates impact and launching points (IP&LP) in real time while concurrently providing friendly fire ranging (FFR) to facilitate highly accurate counter battery and support fire.

C-MMR can simultaneously support up to ten, modern, long-range artillery batteries. It also features an Air Defence (AD)

radation, and high reliability/availability ensure the system’s dependability.

ELM-2138M Tactical C-RAM & Air Defence System (Green Rock) Designed for dependable operation in rugged terrain the Green Rock can be deployed from high mobility ATVs, including ELTA’s own Z series of vehicles: ZMAG and ZBAR. The

ELTA’s True Multi-Mission Radars: (Left) C-MMR (ELM-2311); (Right) Green Rock (ELM-2138M).

mode for the detection and classification of airborne targets, including UAVs, and generates a real-time Air Situation Picture.

C-MMR provides ranges of up to 70 km in the WLR and 250 km in the AD roles. It is capable of detecting and tracking multiple targets simultaneously and features advanced signal processing for better performance in heavy clutter, target classification, and the detection of very low elevation targets. It also features advanced ECCM capabilities. High redundancy, graceful deg-

high precision 3D radar’s functionality is similar to that of C-MMR, with HWL, IP and LP calculations as well as FFR in the Artillery mode and detection and classification of targets in the AD role. While the smaller radar has a shorter detection range of 15 km in its C-RAM role and over 60 km in the Air Defence role, it is even more mobile and adds the capability of detecting and tracking small drones. Green Rock also employs the latest Gallium Nitride (GaN) and Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) tech-

nologies. Each panel offers 90° azimuth and elevation and panels can be easily combined to increase coverage all the way to 360°.

ELTA’s Approach There are various radars throughout the world that claim to offer multi-mission capability. From Elta’s perspective, which is based on years of operational and professional experience acquired through close cooperation with Israel Defence Force units and extensive development efforts, the full definition of multi-mission must include full simultaneous C-RAM and Air Defence capabilities. Regarding the former, it is imperative that the system have the simultaneous capability to both accurately pinpoint the source of enemy fire while at the same time correcting friendly fire in order to ensure quick and efficient target destruction. In order to claim genuine full C-RAM capability both missions must be performed in parallel without the need to switch between detection and ranging modes.

Both ELTA’s C-MMR (ELM-2311) and Green Rock (ELM-2138M) true multi-mission radars provide a combination of performance and mobility that gives maneuvering forces a defensive edge against incoming artillery, rocket and missile fire as well as airborne platforms. They also provide an offensive edge, with their ability to direct highly accurate fire. Moreover, both radars have been developed taking into account the threat of small and medium sized unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) on the battlefield as demonstrated in recent conflict, where UAVs were successfully deployed to “hunt” artillery units.

Operationally proven and ready for deployment in extreme terrain, these radars offer the cost-effective solution for force protection and friendly fire direction even in the most challenging environments. SP

>> lead story Indian Artillery — An Appraisal... continued from page 3 Chinese Artillery Organisational Structure Chinese Ground Forces had organised their artillery support at three levels. A field artillery unit is affiliated to an Infantry/Mechanised/ Motorised Brigade. An Infantry/Motorised/ Mechanised Divisions was grouped with an Artillery Brigade. At a Military Region level an Artillery Division was grouped. In 1990, 17 Artillery Divisions were reduced to eight Artillery Divisions. These numbers were further pruned down at various points in time and by 2016 PLA had only six Artillery Divisions, two Rocket Artillery Divisions, two Anti-Tank Artillery Divisions and eight Anti-Aircraft Artillery Divisions. However, after reorganisation of the PLA into Integrated Theatre Commands, the Artillery and Anti-Aircraft Artillery Divisions were most likely disbanded and converted into Artillery and Anti-Aircraft Artillery Brigades grouped under each Combined Corps/Group Armies.

Chinese Concept of Artillery Fire Support The current concept of artillery support of the PLAGF emphasises long-range deployment, firepower operations, and mobile warfare—the key attributes that the PLAA requires in its newest artillery systems. China continues to produce modern artillery systems aimed at advancing the mechanisation of PLAA artillery while integrating information systems to increase lethality and precision. The primary systems are the PHL-03 300mm self-propelled (SP) multiple rocket

launcher, the PLZ-05 155mm SP gun/ howitzer, and two tracked and two wheeled 122mm artillery systems. These new systems are likely to replace almost all towed artillery.

The exception to this modernisation trend is PLAA coastal defence artillery, which will continue using towed Type 59-1 130mm guns and Type 66 152mm howitzers.

The Chinese are backing their artillery system with UAVs, radars and space based systems to provide a responsive and real time shooter sensor link and shorten the OODA (Observe Orientate Detect Act) loop as far as possible. The Chinese have understood the importance that artillery can actually give longer ranges in rarified environment and hence are relying on such systems. On the other hand we are falling short on our requirement of artillery.

Pakistani Artillery System Pakistani Army artillery concepts, operational philosophy and organisational structures are by and large similar to the Indian Artillery Fire Support Systems. They also have a four layered artillery deployment with an Artillery Regiment affiliated with an Infantry/Armour/Mechanised Brigade, at the Divisional level an Artillery Brigade, reinforcing artillery Brigade at the Corps level and an Artillery Division at the Command level which is normally affiliated to the Strike Corps. Surprisingly though the concept of going in for Artillery Divisions was first adopted by the Pakistani Army.

Indian Army followed suit much later. How-

ever, due to number of reasons the Indian Artillery is lagging behind the Pakistani Artillery in terms of numbers and quality especially if we factor the two-front deployment of India. The reasons for such a state of affairs are many and include the lack of efforts to indigenise production of the various artillery systems especially the medium and heavy artillery type.

As far as the Pakistani artillery holding is concerned, as per 2017 data, it stood at a total of 3,278 pieces of which, heavy artillery constitutes 422, medium artillery 1,243 and light artillery at 1,613. Pakistan enjoys effective ground superiority in the heavy and the medium category while India enjoys major advantage in the light artillery systems (Field Guns). India also lags behind in Self Propelled systems.

Large-scale exercise code-named Zarbe-Momin (1989) conducted by Pakistan Army in response to Operation Brasstacks helped develop its offensive-defence strategy or Doctrine of the Riposte. Assessments completed after the exercise noted that for the Strike Corps to make a significant breakthrough in the North, Artillery concentrations with adequate logistics were essential.

This led to the raising of 2 Artillery Division in the 1990s, under HQ 1 Strike Corps.In the South, 21 Artillery Division came into existence in the late 2000s. This was placed under HQ 5 Corps and tasked to repel enemy offensives with massive artillery firepower.

The Artillery Division is currently directly under their two Command Headquarters.

The Command has the liberty to allocate it to either a holding or a strike corps.

Artillery Division Structure The Pak Artillery Division has three Brigades organised as under: l 1st Artillery Brigade: 1x Heavy Regiment (203mm towed) + 2x Medium Regiment (155/130mm towed) + 1x Field Regiment (122/105mm towed). l 2nd Artillery Brigade: 3x Medium Regiment (155/130mm towed) + 1x Field Regiment (122/105mm towed). l 3rd Artillery Brigade: 2x SP Heavy Regiment (203mm SP) + 1x SP Medium Regiment (155mm SP) + 1x Medium Regiment (155/130mm towed). l Over and the above there is a Divisional Artillery Component directly under the command of the Divisional Head Quarter comprising the following units :l 1x MLRS Regiment (300mm A-100) l 1x MBRL Regiment (122mm KRL 122) l 1 x Locating Regiment (SLC-2 radars and UAVs) l 1x Meteorological and Survey Battery with Division Headquarter and each Brigade l Support units like Signals, Engineers, Supply & Transport, Medical, EME, Ordnance, MP, etc.

Grouping reinforcing artillery in a divisional structure facilitates better flexibility in employment of artillery based on battle Continued on page 10...

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>> Artillery

Developments in Artillery In the NCW environment, artillery is required to shape the battlefield, degrade the enemy’s war-waging capability, destroy enemy’s field defences, communication sites and logistics echelons, thereby paralysing the enemy to accomplishing own mission.

Photograph: DRDO / Twitter

 Lt General P.C. Katoch (Retd)

also makes it cheaper and harder to detect, compared to a larger UAV like the ScanEagle. This drone represents not only the growing innovation in Chinese unmanned system, but also advancements in Chinese defence networking and battlefield situational awareness.

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he average annual growth of artillery systems world-wide has been forecast at 6.8 per cent up to the year 2023, as per the Artillery System Market Competitive Review. This proves that artillery will continue to remain vital in the modern battlespace. The report states that the global artillery systems market is driven by enhanced requirements for advanced military equipment in the developed countries around the world as well as growing demand in the emerging or rather developing countries. This includes surveillance equipment and platforms. Further, there is a considerable demand for automation of these systems to be effective in a networkcentric environment.

Although the study has segmented artillery based on region, type, range and components, it notes that the market in AsiaPacific is expected to grow at the fastest rate during the period up to 2023 because of increasing number of territorial disputes and the need for modernisation military forces of countries in this region. The study segments artillery mortars, howitzers, rocket artillery and other equipment and highlights the following: l Mortars are in great demand globally, primarily for their small size. l The howitzer system is expected to grow at the fastest pace during the period up to 2023. l Howitzers have a greater range and comprise a better system than mortars, particularly for inter-state conflicts. l Medium range artillery accounts for the largest share of global systems - for the study, medium range artillery considered the range from 26 to 50 km. l Up to the year 2023, the long range segment is projected to grow at the highest rate. This is attributable to the increasing unresolved borders as a greater portion of the target is covered by long distances.

As for components, the study has divided artillery systems into gun, fire control system, ammunition, auxiliary system and others. The fire control systems accounted for the biggest share of the global market. It is pertinent to note that the projected growth would be the highest in the precision ammunition system. This is due to increased accuracy of target detection and firing with the use of Global Positioning System (GPS) fire control systems, onboard navigation, ammunition handling system and digital processing.

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China’s Advanced Howitzer In April 2020, China’s vehicle mounted howitzer ‘PCL-181’, termed most advanced in Chinese media, entered service in the People’s Liberation Army (PLA). The 155mm wheeled vehicle-mounted howitzer weighs only 25 tonnes, making it much lighter and faster with longer endurance than PLA’s earlier howitzer which use crawler tracks and weighs more than 40 tonnes. The new howitzer can also hit targets at longer ranges with increased firepower. This means that the PCL-181 not only has higher mobility but also can be transported by large transport aircraft like the Y-20 which has a cargo capacity of more than 60 tonnes. One Y-20

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SP’s Land Forces 4/2021

Indian Scene

‘Rustom’ MALE UAV from Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO). The Surveillance and Target Acquisition (SATA) regiments of the Indian Artillery are equipped with four types of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs).

can carry 2 x PCL-181 or combination of one PCL-181 and one 30-tonne class Type 15 lightweight main battle tank (MBT).

The vehicle on which the PCL-181 is mounted on has a large driver’s cabin that can accommodate all six artillery squad members, protecting them with bulletproof glass that enhances survivability of the crew. The digitised controls allow the deployment with the press of a button, automatic gun collaboration and semiautomated ammunition loading, all of which shortens preparation time to shoot, giving the artillery stronger combat capabilities. The PC-181 was first seen during the National Day military parade in Beijing on October 1, 2019. Later, the PCL-181 was also spotted in a round of PLA exercises during early 2020 (possible trials) in high-elevation plateau region of southwestern Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR).

Cannon-Firing Drones On August 31, 2021, the IA ordered over 100 tactical ‘SkyStriker‘ loitering munition from Bengaluru-based Alpha Design Technologies Private Limited having joint venture with Israel’s Elbit Systems Limited.

Alpha Design Technologies, now part of the Adani Group, is already producing SkyStriker munitions and will meet IA’s requirements within one year. SkyStriker, launched through an automatic pneumatic launch platform, can reach a distance of 20 km in less than 10 minutes. The total range for the system is around 100 km. Designed for longrange precision strike; SkyStriker can pursue a target for up to two hours with a 5-kg warhead or up to one hour with a 10-kg warhead at maximum speed of 100 knots.

The Indian Army intends to use these drones for developing swarming concept of operations and to help design future swarming systems

Concurrently, the IA has also ordered 100 units of ‘swarm drones’ from the startup Newspace Research and Technologies Private Limited costing $15 million. The IA intends to use these drones for developing swarming concept of operations and to help design future swarming systems. All this is a good beginning though we have awakened to the requirement only after the Chinese aggression in Eastern Ladakh during MayJune 2020.

News reports of January 2015 revealed that China’s Chengdu Aviation Corporation famous for designing some of China’s largest UAVs, has begun offering something far smaller, but just as deadly - deployed from a 155mm shell (PLZ-04 howitzer) or 300mm rocket (A-100 rocket launcher). When nearing deployment, the shell deploys a drag parachute to slow down. At the slower speed, the shell splits open so the drone can safely deploy. Despite the drone’s small size, its sensors are capable enough of detecting specific targets like tanks.

This little drone can also be fired from large artillery, such as a 155mm cannon or a rocket launcher, to quickly scout for and light up enemy armored vehicles with its laser designator. Once enemy vehicles have been targeted, the parent artillery battery can fire off laser guided shells and artillery to accurately destroy the enemy. The drone is lodged inside a specially designed warhead inside a rocket or artillery shell. At the appropriate attitude, the warhead deploys a parachute in order to slow down and release the drone.

The drone then uses its four wings to stay aloft, while it scans for enemy vehicles. An operator back at the artillery battery designates the drone to use its laser (as well as any another sensors) to lock onto enemy vehicles by marking their rooftops, just like the laser designator on a Reaper drone or Apache attack helicopter.

The artillery launched drone has six sections, including guidance fins, wings for gliding, communications link, and the sensor/laser targeting payload. It offers an advantages over small traditional UAVs and larger reconnaissance UAVs. Artillery launch provides the drone with speed and mobility advantages over small hand launched UAVs like the Raven. Its small size

The focus in the modern battle-space must be on the Network-Centric Warfare (NCW) capability; provision of surveillance and reconnaissance resulting in target acquisition leading to engagement, which needs to be monitored to undertake post-strike damage assessment and ensure that the target is destroyed. The core functions of artillery being suppression of enemy fire, striking high-value targets, breaking up enemy force concentrations and providing fire support for assaulting troops and manoeuvre warfare implies that in the NCW environment, artillery is required to shape the battlefield, degrade the enemy’s war-waging capability, destroy enemy’s field defences, communication sites and logistics echelons, thereby paralysing the enemy to accomplishing own mission.

The Surveillance and Target Acquisition (SATA) regiments of the Artillery are equipped with four types of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs); Medium Altitude Long Endurance (MALE), Heron UAVs and Short Range UAVs Searcher MK I, Searcher Mk II as also the indigenously built Nishant. The numbers held however are minimal and need to be upgraded. The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) have been developing the MALE UAV ‘Rustom’ for the past few years.

In January 2021, the Indian Army signed a $20 million (approximately `140 crores) contract with ideaForge Technology Private Limited for procuring undisclosed quantities of a high altitude variant of SWITCH unarmed aerial vehicle (UAV); an indigenous system used for surveillance operations.

The SATA units are currently equipped with Medium Range Battlefield Surveillance Radars (MBFSR) and Weapon Locating Radars (WLR). Further, SATA units are equipped with the Long Range Reconnaissance and Observation System (LORROS).

This equipment has excellent day and night surveillance capability and has proved its effectiveness in operational areas. The SATA units also have a passive weapon locating system known as sound ranging. Bharat Electronics in conjunction with DRDO has developed a WLR which has undergone evaluation trials and is being inducted.

Conclusion Modernisation of the Indian Artillery is taking place albeit the pace has somewhat slowed down in recent months due to snags and slower acquisitions. This needs to be addressed. But as important is the need to catch up with China in terms of surveillance, monitoring, target acquisition, NCW capabilities and drone warfare.

Aside from cannon-launched drones to take on enemy targets, ground launcher to launch drones to engage enemy drones are already on the scene. We need to synergise the national effort to accelerate the pace of technological development and innovations. SP

>> INterview / oem

Andleeb Shadman, Managing Director, Hensoldt

HENSOLDT’s Multi-functional Self-protection System (MUSS)

Protecting Armoured Vehicle while maintaining manoeuvrability with no collateral damages, MUSS APS System is an optimal solution for military platforms. Andleeb Shadman, Managing Director, Hensoldt talks to SP’s Land Forces on how MUSS APS is a uniquely different system and ideally suited for India.

H

ENSOLDT group core competence has been to recognise a wide range of threats and to provide practical and optimal solutions to improve the safety and operational effectiveness of military platforms. Evolution of HENSOLDT’s MUSS (Multi-functional Self-protection System) has been an endeavour in the same direction. MUSS is the most advanced in-service, cost effective and practical solution to improve the survivability of Armoured Personnel Carrier (APC) or Infantry Fighting Vehicle (IFV) platforms.

SP’s Land Forces (SP’s): What are the key criteria that influence the choice of worldwide customers in selecting Active Protection Systems (APS) for AFV/ICV? Andleeb Shadman (Shadman): While the choice of APS largely depends on experience and respective military doctrine, however some key drivers that influence the decisions are l The system should not degrade/ adversely impact AFV/IFV operational role and capabilities and provide 360 degree coverage to cater for all angles of arrival of threats including top attack munitions. l Capable of detection, tracking and neutralization multiple threats (ATGMs of all types, CE & KE projectiles) that the AFV/IFV is likely to encounter in the battle field simultaneously and deploy appropriate countermeasures. l No resultant collateral damage by deployment of countermeasures to crew/other dismounted personnel/softskinned vehicles in vicinity/optical & Optronics devices and other soft points of the AFV/IFV

tional requirements by combining selected sub systems to deliver a desired effect.

MUSS is an In-Service system fitted on the SPz PUMA, the most modern IFV of the Bundeswehr Armoured Infantry Brigades.

MUSS was ‘designed’ into the protection solution of the SPz PUMA. The key product differentiators include l Modular and scalable system for different vehicle (wheeled and tracked armoured vehicles) types and operational requirements for overall protection. l Highly cost effective solution. l Significant SWaP advantages over APS using Hard Kill effectors. l Undetectable and Jamming proof. l No Collateral Damage to host Platform or Local Area. l Easy to integrate, no strong provisions needed. Does not significantly alter/ degrade platform. l Complimentary to traditional Hard Kill APS. HK APS protection are only against certain threats and not against all RPGs. l Product Roadmap includes Interface to Hard Kill Effector, Laser Jamming & Dazzling, Tracking & Confirmation Sensor, Integration into Surveillance and C2 system and Platform Interoperability.

MUSS fitted to IFV PUMA l The System should have minimum Size,

“Our approach would be to offer complete Active Protection Systems (APS) framework to Indian customers wherein Indian capabilities could be leveraged by means of Joint development, build-to-print and/or build-to-specs”

Weight & Power (SWaP) specifications.

External components should not enlarge vehicle profile, block/impede access or functioning of any existing hatches/ ports/Observation devices and Armament. Internal Components should not displace existing combat loads and systems and with no additional environmental/EMI impact. l Cost effectiveness is a key driver. Initial and through life costs should be optimised. l The APS should be modular with open architecture and future ready to integrate additional sensors and counter measures as per requirements for a given platform limitations/Threat perception and levels of protection required.

SP’s: Could you describe HENSOLDT MUSS® APS System which is already on the German Army’s PUMA IFV and what are its key differentiators?

Shadman: MUSS® is a Passive Detection (PD) with a Soft Kill (SK) effector based Active Protection System (APS), delivering a KEY protection layer against Anti-Tank Guided Missiles (ATGM) and Laser (guided) Threats (LT).

The system mainly comprises two passive sensors, a Missile Warner (MW) and a Laser Warner (LW), with two Countermeasures – a 360 degree rotatable IR Jammer (IRJ) and Directable Smoke Dispenser (DSD). The System is modular, flexible, easy to install and cost effective solution for the customer. The modular system architecture makes it easy to customise the configuration for specific vehicle ergonomics and opera-

SP’s: Could you please elaborate your views on the Indian market and what are your plans to introduce MUSS to Indian Customers?

Shadman: The Indian Market, with its large inventory of Tanks and ICVs as well as its future platform development programs offers huge potential. We are also cognizant about India’s uncompromising focus on Military Self-Reliance through ‘Make in India’ policy.

It is important to reiterate the fact that MUSS system is already in-service on ~350 SPz PUMA, which is the most modern IFV of the German Army with its existing capabilities to defeat a wide range of ATGMs and low SWaP profile.

Therefore our approach would be to offer complete Active Protection Systems (APS) framework to Indian customers wherein Indian capabilities could be leveraged by means of Joint development, buildto-print and/or build-to-specs to realise the Indigenous APS solution in the most practical and incremental way.

MUSS with its inherent modularity of design, Multi-pronged Evolutionary approach involving technology and capability enhancement across the system in all components – sensors and effectors, feasibility of integration of parallel systems or add on Sensors and effectors in its architecture fits in well with this approach. SP

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>> ARTILLERY / MAKE-IN-INDIA

Atmanirbhar Bharat: Make-in-India for Thundering Artillery

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arsen & Toubro (L&T) has been a partner to the DRDO and the Indian Armed Forces for over three decades. L&T is the Indian artillery’s biggest private-sector partner for equipment supply.

During the last decade, L&T has inducted multiple regiments of Pinaka MRLS with command posts, upgraded the in-service GRAD BM-21 MBRLs, and delivered all the 155mm / 52 cal K9 VAJRA-T tracked selfpropelled guns ahead of schedule.

L&T has been at the forefront of development, integration and testing of artillery gun systems with the successful development of the K9 VAJRA-T along with Hanwha, Korea and the 155mm / 52 cal towed gun system TRAJAN® along with Nexter, France. Through this journey, L&T has developed niche capabilities, such as artillery fire control systems, including ballistic modules, ammunition-handling systems and towed-gun mobility systems through in-house R&D.

L&T’s Armoured Systems Complex, Hazira, Gujarat

All this has been possible by L&T’s continuous commitment to India’s security, which has been affirmed by the company’s

establishment of seven centres of excellence dedicated to creating world-class indigenised weapons solutions along with

multiple dedicated defence R&D centres.

The latest addition to these is state-ofthe-art Armoured Systems Complex (ASC) at Hazira, Gujarat. The greenfield ASC is spread over a 50-acre area within L&T’s Hazira Manufacturing Complex (around 900 acres), which is rated amongst the world’s top five manufacturing facilities.

The ASC has state-of-the-art facilities for robotic armoured hull and turret welding, CNC machining, system assembly and integration, as well as test tracks to conduct mobility tests on the artillery and armoured systems.

L&T Centres of Excellence are ably supported by a carefully cultivated eco-system, i.e. a dedicated local manufacturing supply chain of over 1000 industrial partners, mostly MSMEs, backed by L&T’s engineering and production facilities spread across India. Supported by a vibrant R&D set-up and robust engineering expertise, these centres enable L&T to play a vital role in giving India’s artillery forces the decisive edge. SP

>> lead story Indian Artillery — An Appraisal... continued from page 7 plans and progress of the battle. Further it helps in better in-service management of artillery assets and equipment. Availability of adequate artillery support in a near peer environment where the air space is going to be heavily contested, the ground force will have to depend heavily on artillery and long distance rocket and missile support for shaping the battlefield, battlefield interdiction and close fire support.

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Indian Army Artillery Support System & Structure As discussed earlier Indian Army is grossly short of artillery support both in numbers and quality except in the field artillery category. Indian Artillery is lagging behind its adversaries due to decades of policy paralysis, inaction and mismanagement at all levels of the government and the Army. Indian Army’s prolonged involvement in CI/CT operations for the last three decades may be the other reason for our neglect of the Artillery. For example, we need 26 Pinaka Artillery Regiments, however we are procuring only six. Pinaka System is the backbone of our artillery divisions. Even the six which we are procuring will only be available by 2024.

Pinaka Regiments are an important component of Artillery Divisions and their numbers need to be enhanced urgently to strengthen our capacities especially along the Northern Borders. The gap in capability may result in the nation paying a very heavy price especially in terms of precious life of our soldiers and people of the country. Fortunately success in development of Pinaka Rockets, Indian Field Artillery Gun, Dhanush, ATAGs, procurement of ULH (Ultra Light Howitzers) and grouping of UAVs with Corps of artillery is giving the right push in development of this key war fighting capability.

Structural Construct Structurally the Indian Army artillery system is also organised at four levels like the Pak Artillery. At the lowest level a field or a medium regiment is affiliated to an Infantry/Mountain/Mechanised/Armoured Brigade. This artillery unit is part of the artillery brigade authorised to Infantry/

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SP’s Land Forces 4/2021

Mechanised/Armoured/Mountain Division. Reserve or reinforcing artillery brigade is authorised to the Pivot/Strike Corps. The Artillery Division is authorised to the Strike Corps. India has three Artillery Divisions they are meant to augment the fire support effort to the Strike Corps. However, given the fluidity of battle in the current operating scenario Artillery Divisions would be better utilised if they are placed directly under the Army Command for better and optimal utilisation and management of artillery support especially with the induction of Project Shakti a fairly effective Command, Control System, and UAVs to the ground forces.

Indian Army Artillery Division In my opinion philosophy behind raising of an artillery division by India is based on three factors. First there would be a greater need for long range fire support and battle area interdiction to shape the battlefield for the ground forces due to the limited availability of air support in a highly contested air space during a conflict with a near peer adversary. Accordingly, availability of an artillery division with the capability to provide long range gun support (35 to 45 km), long range rocket and missile system with a range of 40 to 300 km would be a game changer. In fact the artillery would play a pivotal role in leading the ground offensive at the tactical level. Future wars entail annihilation and not merely neutralising enemy’s ‘area’ and ‘precision’ targets in the combat zone such as concentration of formations, communication centres, bridges, ammunition dumps, radar sites, guns and air defence sites. To achieve such effects in the Tactical Battle Area (TBA), availability of long range weapon systems would be mandatory. However to organise and employ these long range artillery guns, rockets and missiles they needed to grouped under a larger Headquarter such as an artillery division. Many experts are of the opinion that rather than raising an artillery division these long range weapons could form part of Corps Artillery Brigade.

However, in such an eventuality there is a danger of critical artillery resources being

sub optimally utilised due to delay in concentrating these weapons at the point of decision caused due to movement, coordination and decision making complexities.

Second, the method of utilisation of long range artillery system envisages grouping additional support, logistics and administrative elements which would require better command and control. Systems such as Project Shakti (Artillery Command Control and Communication System - ACCCS) and UAVs need to be grouped with long range artillery. An artillery division is better suited to manage the command and control of such a centralized utilisation of artillery over a wider and deeper combat zone. Third, since an artillery division would comprise of diverse weapons and equipment such as medium/heavy gun systems, rocket and tactical level missiles.

Hence, a higher headquarter would be in a better position to ensure smooth logistical and administrative support.

Recommendations Status of Indian Artillery The Corps of Artillery has lost its numerical and qualitative advantage with its Western adversary due to numerous reasons. Numerically it was always behind the Northern Adversary too. However, due to rapid advancement in artillery, rocket and tactical missile systems the gap has widened further both numerically and qualitatively.

India for a considerable period did not make any major effort to bridge the gap. The Government and the Army need to work on a war footing if they wish to firstly cover the gap and secondly lead its attacks and fights its defensive battle with predominance of artillery fire. The concept today being followed by leading world armies is to use artillery as a combat arm and not a support arm. The role of Bofors in the Kargil war is a shining example of this concept of war fighting. The Chinese are planning to lead their attacks by using artillery fire to annihilate the enemy, which is a level above destruction. Mercifully we are now making some progress in the induction of the Artillery systems into the Indian Army.

Reorganising the Artillery Division The Artillery Division most likely has gun brigades and a composite brigade comprising a mix of Grads, Pinaka, Smerch, BrahMos and a SATA Regiment. UAVs were also grouped with it like the Chinese Army but they have now been taken over

by Aviation. This may lead to coordination and delays in the Sensor-Shooter communication which may cause a major delay. It is also contrary to the practice adopted by major military powers such as the US and Russia. Major recommendations to make the artillery cover to the ground forces further effective following measures are recommended. Firstly, the UAVs must be reverted back under the Artillery Division and secondly, the Composite Brigade must be split into Rocket and Missile Brigades.

The Rocket Brigade could comprise Pinaka Regiment (Enhanced Range 70 km), BM 21 Grad Regiment, and a Smerch Regiment. The Missile Brigade could comprise the BrahMos Regiment and two Prahaar (150 km) Regiments as and when Prahaar is fully operationalised. The profile would help the Division to influence the battle over an area of 30 to nearly 300 km. This is a tremendous capability enhancement as this would help the Ground Forces to take care of their fire support needs organically.

This would also reduce the pressure on the Air Force during the phase of air superiority battle. Thirdly, while we do have three Artillery Divisions, the fourth Artillery Division for the Eastern Sector needs to be raised at the earliest.

Current trajectory of Indian Artillery may be termed as on the path of recovery but there is still a lot of ground to cover if we have to catch up with our adversaries. Operationalisation and induction of Prahaar Missile System and Advance Towed Gun System, induction of indigenous Dhanush and Pinaka Regiments, procurement of Ultra Light Howitzers (ULH) in the desired numbers, regrouping of the UAVs with the Corps of Artillery and incorporation of an effective C2 system to control the artillery fire would make the IA artillery a battle wining factor in any future conventional or hybrid war. SP

>> News in Brief Closing Ceremony Indo-Kazakhstan Joint Training Exercise KAZIND–21

T

he 5th edition of Indo-Kazakhstan Joint Training Exercise, Exercise KAZIND-21 culminated on September 10, 2021 at Training Node Aisha Bibi, Kazakhstan after 12 days of mutual learning. In the Joint Exercise which began on August 31, 2021, training was focused on Counter Insurgency/Counter Terrorism operations in urban scenario as well as sharing of expertise on skills at arms.

The exercise also provided an opportunity to troops of both Armies to foster everlasting professional and social bonding.

After intense military training, the

joint exercise concluded with both Armies exhibiting their combat power and dominance over the terrorist groups during the Validation Exercise. The closing ceremony showcased the immense talent with unique traditional touch of both Nations.

The senior officials expressed their satisfaction and appreciation towards the professional conduct of the exercise.

The bonhomie, esprit-de-corps and goodwill generated during the exercise will go a long way in future strengthening the bonds between the Armed Forces of both countries. SP

APPOINtMENTs Lt General Sanjeev Kumar Sharma, assumed the appointment of the Deputy Chief of Army Staff (DCOAS) (Strategy) on July 1, 2021. The DCOAS (Strategy), is a third and a new vertical created for overseeing the Indian Army’s operations and intelligence directorates, among other important branches, is one of the most crucial appointments within the Indian Army.

Lt General S.P. Goswami took over as Director General Army Air Defence (DGAAD) on July 1, 2021 from Lt General A.P. Singh who has superannuated.

Lt General Tarun Kumar Chawla, assumed the appointment of the Director General of Artillery on August 1, 2021. He took over the appointment from Lt General K. Ravi Prasad who superannuated on July 31, 2021.

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