In response to our evolving security landscape and the lessons learnt from the Ukrainian War, India is improving its artillery capabilities with focus on long range and high-volume fire power. The emphasis is on mobility, precision attacks, range, quick strikes and survivability.The array of weapons being planned to be inducted as part of the modernization include guns, rocket systems and missiles as well as target acquisition and surveillance systems.
Capability Development Plans
The major on-going capability development plans for the artillery include procurement of various advanced weaponry and surveillance systems to enhance precision strike capabilities as well as improve surveillance and target acquisition. The capability boost, which will cost thousands of crores, has been evolved after an assessment of what Artillery Regiments need for battlefield supremacy.
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.
Primacy of Firepower
The Ukraine conflict has clearly reaffirmed the primacy of firepower as a battle winning factor, and the Army has drawn some lessons relevant to its operations. Global militaries have focused their attention on artillery equipment with longer ranges, higher volume of fire and greater precision.
The profile of weaponry to be inducted after analysing the developments in the two ongoing conflicts includes more Self-Propelled and Mounted Gun Systems for improved mobility, missiles and rockets with superior range, ensuring increased survivability against the enemy, optimising the use of drones and staying prepared for prolonged military operations. The Artillery’s focus is on pursuing modernisation through indigenization with the goal of staying ahead of India’s adversaries.
Agile Approach Needed
No doubt technology has been recognised as a fundamental driver for change, but there needs to be an agile approach that harnesses procurement, commercial practices, capability integration and strategic aspirations to work in concert to service the Army’s future requirements.
Equipment that uses mature technology and can be delivered on time in the right quantities must be given priority over state-of-the-art equipment that promises much but is either unproven on the battlefield or cannot be made available in the given time frame. The Ukrainian Conflict has also highlighted the issue of sustenance in a long conflict wherein replenishment of key components in the sensor-to-shooter chain is paramount to achieve the decision advantage that is so crucial to winning engagements on the modern battlefield.
Many of the successes seen in Ukraine are based on using and adapting existing commercial technology, particularly those that are software based. Hence there needs to be closer partnerships with private industry to ensure sustenance and delivery of equipment and spares at short notice and in the volumes that modern conflicts demand.
