Indian Army goes for artillery firepower boost with lessons from Ukraine war

Weighty lessons learnt from the Ukraine conflict, which entered its 570th day on Saturday, have influenced the Indian Army’s plans to advance its firepower, with a greater emphasis on mobility, precision attacks, range, quick strikes and survivability as it ramps up efforts to buy an array of weapons, including guns, rocket systems and missiles, officials tracking the artillery’s modernisation said on Saturday. The strategy hinges on equipping all regiments with advanced 155mm artillery gun systems, inducting missiles and rockets with longer ranges and precision, lethal ammunition, reorganisation of surveillance and target acquisition units, and shortening the sensor-to-shooter loop for swift detection and destruction of targets, said one of the officials, asking not to be named. The urgent priorities for the army include the speedy induction of 155mm weaponry, including the indigenous advanced towed artillery gun system, buying more self-propelled K9 Vajra-T guns manufactured by Larsen & Toubro with technology transfer from South Korean firm Hanwha Techwin, mounted gun systems, modern towed gun systems, and equipping more regiments with Dhanush artillery pieces and upgraded Sharang guns, the officials said. Read here: ‘Firing from Pakistani post…’: Indian Army on third terrorist killed in Baramulla encounter Upgraded Sharang artillery guns are an important element of the ongoing artillery modernisation.