CDS VISITS FORWARD AREAS IN CENTRAL SECTOR AND HQ WESTERN COMMAND OF INDIAN ARMY

The Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), General Bipin Rawat visited forward areas along the Line of Actual Control(LOC) in the Central Sector in Himachal Pradesh along with GOC, Uttar Bharat Area today. On arrival at the forward most post in Sumdoh Sub-Sector, the CDS was briefed on the operational preparedness of own forces towards safeguarding the territorial integrity of the nation. The CDS interacted extensively with the Indian Army, ITBP and GREF personnel deployed in the remote areas and appreciated their state of high morale. He encouraged all ranks to keep up the high state of alertness and professionalism displayed by them.  
 

General Bipin Rawat visited the Headquarters of Western Command of Indian Army at Chandimandir where he reviewed the operational situation along the Western borders. The CDS commended the formation for their efforts to ensure force preservation and at the same time stepping forward to provide support in terms of establishing COVID hospitals at Chandigarh, Patiala, Faridabad, providing paramedical staff in aid of civil hospitals, assistance in vaccination of common citizens and revitalizing oxygen plants at various places in the nation’s fight against the pandemic. He stressed upon the need to focus on training hard and remain vigilant to thwart the nefarious designs of our adversaries. He emphasized that all ranks must keep themselves abreast with latest trends in information technology, emerging cyber threats and counter measures.

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                                                      JAI HIND!!!

Defence Ministry orders light-specialist vehicles from Mahindra Defence for Army...

Providing further boost to ‘Make in India’, Ministry of Defence (MoD) signed a contract with Mahindra Defence Systems Ltd (MDSL) for supply of 1,300 Light Specialist Vehicles to the Indian Army, at a cost of Rs 1,056 crore, in New Delhi on March 22, 2021. The induction of vehicles is planned to be completed in four years.

The Light Specialist Vehicle is a modern fighting vehicle and will be authorised to various fighting units for carriage of Medium Machine Guns, Automatic Grenade Launchers as well as Anti-tank Guided Missiles.

The Mahindra Armored Light Specialist Vehicle (ALSV) is a light armoured specialist vehicle built for use by military and defence forces. It’s designed to be a modular type vehicle allowing for efficient maintenance and it can be upgraded or configured in the field for a wide variety of operational roles. The ALSV offers ballistic protection up to B7, STANAG Level II.

Features :-

Counter-Terrorist Operations

Patrolling in High Intensity Areas

Special Forces Operations

Quick Reaction Teams

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Conventional Operations

Weapon carrier

Raids in Open/ Desert Terrain

Reconnaissance

Border Security

 The Light Specialist Vehicle is indigenously designed and developed by MDSL. These combat vehicles are extremely agile with all round protection against small arms fire and will assist small independent detachments which are required to operate this weapon platform in the operational area.

 This is a flagship project showcasing the indigenous manufacturing capabilities of the defence industry and will add another milestone to the ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyaan’ and ‘Make in India’ initiative. 

Navy, Army and IAF finally agree to procure armed drones from US as MQ-9 Reaper in $3 bn deal....

Impressed with the performance of the two leased Sea Guardian drones, the Navy, Army and the Air Force will finally jointly procure 30 armed versions of the American unmanned aerial system in what could be a $3 billion deal, ThePrint has learnt.

The decision comes just before US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin’s visit to India later this month. Austin’s visit could be a precursor to the impending meet of the ‘Quad’ leaders — US, India, Australia and Japan. 

According to sources in the defence and security establishment, initially one of the three services were not clear about procuring the armed predator drones but now all three are finally on the same way. 

They added that the Defence Minister Rajnath Singh-led Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) could take a final decision on this “soon”.

If approved, this would be the first tri-service procurement since Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat was appointed to steer the Indian armed forces into a more united force, both in terms of operational doctrine and procurement.

According to the deal, India will be acquiring 30 MQ-9 Reaper or Predator B, 10 each for the three services.

The MQ-9B has an endurance of 48 hours and a range of over 6,000 nautical miles. It comes with nine hard-points, capable of carrying sensors and laser-guided bombs besides air-to-ground missiles, with a maximum payload of two tonnes.

The Navy, which is the lead agency for procurement of HALE (High Altitude Long Endurance) UAVs, will seek the Acceptance of Necessity (AON) from the DAC.

Successful Launches of VL-SRSAM Missile System

                                                                                                                                         

Defence Research & Development Organisation (DRDO) conducted two successful launches of Vertical Launch Short Range Surface to Air Missile (VL-SRSAM). 

The launches were carried out today from a static vertical launcher from Integrated Test Range (ITR), Chandipur off the coast of Odisha. Indigenously designed and developed by DRDO for Indian Navy, VL-SRSAM is meant for neutralizing various aerial threats at close ranges including sea-skimming targets. The current launches were carried out for demonstration of vertical launch capability as part of its maiden launch campaign. On both occasions, the missiles intercepted the simulated targets with pinpoint accuracy. The missiles were tested for minimum and maximum range. VL-SRSAM with Weapon Control System (WCS) were deployed during the trials. 

The present trials have proved the effectiveness of the weapon system and few more trials will be conducted shortly before deployment on Indian Naval ships. Once deployed, the VL-SRSAM system will prove to be a force multiplier for the Indian Navy.

PM Modi Dedicate MBT Arjun tank Mk1-A to Indian Army

In yet another boost for Make in India in defence Prime Minister Narendra Modi will dedicate the Main Battle Tank Arjun Mark1A to the nation on Sunday in Chennai. 

In a high-level meeting, the defence ministry recently cleared the induction of 118 Arjun Mark1A tanks into the Indian Army which would be worth around Rs 8,400 crore and would add to the strength of the force in land warfare.

"Prime Minister Narendra Modi would be dedicating the latest version of the Arjun tank to the nation on February 14 in Chennai at the tank production facility in Avadi," Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) officials told ANI.

The tank has been fully designed and developed by the DRDO in close coordination with the Indian Army. The 118 tanks would be joining the fleet of the first batch of 124 Arjun tanks which have already been inducted into the Army and are deployed in the western desert along the Pakistan front.

The 118 Arjun tanks would also form two regiments in the Armoured Corps of the Indian Army like the first 124 tanks.

Officials said the Army has reduced the number of tanks required for the formation of a tank regiment and that is the why the present order has six lesser tanks than the previous order for two regiments.

The DRDO has been developing the Arjun Mark 1A for quite some time now and the project was hastened by both Chief of Defence Staff Gen Bipin Rawat and DRDO chief Dr G Satheesh Reddy to increase the level of indigenous weapon systems in the armed forces.

The Arjun has been designed by the DRDO's Combat Vehicles Research and Development Establishment (CVRDE) and DRDO Chairman Satheesh Reddy will hand the first Arjun Mark 1A to Prime Minister Modi.

The tanks will be produced by the Ordnance Factory Board's (OFB) Heavy Vehicles Factory (HVF) Avadi. 

The first batch of five main battle tanks will be handed over to the army within two-and-a-half years of the signing of the contract.

‘‘ASMI” India's First Indigenous Machine Pistol

In another boost to its defence capabilities, India has now developed its first-ever indigenously made 9mm machine pistol 'ASMI'. As per the Ministry of Defence, the weapon has been jointly developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and the Indian Army.

It has been developed by a young officer from Infantry School Lt Col Prasad Bansod in a record time of four months. The weapon has the capability of firing the in-service 9 mm ammunition. The weapon has been named “Asmi” which means 'pride', 'Self-Respect' and 'Hard Work'.

A press statement from DRDO informed that the Army's infantry school in Mhow and the DRDO's Armament Research and Development Establishment (ARDE) in Pune have designed and developed the weapon. 

Structure & Design :

The upper receiver of ASMI is made from Aircraft grade Aluminium while the lower receiver is created from Carbon Fibre. The weapon has an overall empty weight of less than 2 Kg and it features an 8-inch barrel along with 33 rounds high capacity magazine and machine pistol fires the in-service 9mm ammunition. 

A 3 dimensional printing process has been used in designing and prototyping of various parts and the machine pistol is likely to have production cost under Rs 50,000 each and has potential for exports. 

ASMI :

The weapon has been named “Asmi” which means 'pride', 'Self-Respect' and 'Hard Work'. 

Ministry of Defence Statement :

The weapon has huge potential in armed forces as a personal weapon for heavy weapon detachments, commanders, tank and aircraft crews, drivers and dispatch riders, radio or radar operators, for closed quarter battles, counter-insurgency and counter-terrorism operations, etc. This is also likely to find huge employability with the central and state police organizations, as well as VIP protection duties and policing.

                           Jai Hind!!!!!!!! 

                                🇮🇳🇮🇳

India Successfully test fired a New Version of Nuclear Capable Shaurya missile Today....

The ongoing border crisis with China, India on Saturday successfully test-fired a new version of nuclear-capable Shaurya missile off the coast of Odisha which can strike targets at around 800 kms.

The new version of the missile was testfired successfully and would be inducted in the strategic forces to complement one of the existing missiles in the same class.

The missile would be lighter and easier to operate in comparison with the existing missile.

In the last phase while moving close to its target, the missile moves at hypersonic speeds, the sources said further.

The DRDO has been working towards completing total self-reliance in the field of strategic missiles and has enhanced its efforts further after the call of Aatmanirbhar Bharat by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the defence sector earlier this year, the sources said.

India also successfully testfired the BrahMos supersonic cruise missile which can hit targets at over 400 km strike range which is at least more than 100 kms from the previous capability of the missile. 

Indian Navy, Indian Airforce To Get Indigenous SAAW (Smart Anti-Airfield Weapon)

The Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) headed by the Defence Ministery cleared the procurement of the indigenously developed ‘Smart Anti-Airfield Weapon’ or SAAW for the Indian Navy and the Indian Air Force.

Developed by the DRDO, SAAW has a range of around 100 km and weighs around 125 kg.

The weapon, which is being procured at an approximate cost Rs 970 crore, will give the Air Force and the Navy the capability to hit Enemy Airfields and Runways, Bunkers, plane Hanger from a standoff distance with high precision during conflicts.

Given that this weapon can be launched from standoff ranges, the aircraft launching it can remain at a safe distance from the enemy target. In many cases, the weapon can be fired by IAF fighters like Jaguar & Sukhoi-30 MKI from within the Indian air space.

Apart from SAAW, the DAC also cleared the procurement of Static HF Trans-receiver sets for field units of the Indian Army and the Air Force at an approximate cost of Rs 540 crore to enable seamless communication.

A Woman Fighter Pilot Could Fly Indian Airforce Rafale Very Soon

According to some reports, a female pilot could soon be operating a Rafale in IAF.

In a first, a woman fighter pilot is all set to be a part of the Rafale squadron of the Indian Air Force in Ambala, according to India Today.

The women officer, whose name has not been disclosed due to security reasons, is one of the ten female-fighter pilots currently under training. She will begin actively participating in duties along with the 17 Squadron soon. Indian Air Force formally inducted five Rafale fighter jets to the fleet of IAF’s 17 Squadron, the “Golden Arrows” at a glittering ceremony in Ambala air base.

The pilot has already undergone a full fighter training course and already knows hot to operate MiG-21 fighters. In India, IAF’s 10 women pilots have operated on a variety of aircraft including Su-30 MKI and MiG-29 UPG. 

Just four years ago, Flt Lt Avani Chaturvedi, Flt Lt Bhawanna Kanth and Flt Lt Mohana Singh became the first women fighter pilots in the country.

This may come as an achievement, however, India still has a long way to go.

Armed forces, in general, have a very low proportion of women personnel. The Air Force has the highest share of women officers in India at 13.9%. Whereas, there are only 6% female officers in Indian Navy. The Indian Army has an even lower proportion of women at only 3.8%.

Women Officers in Indian Navy

    (Afnan Sheikh, Kreeshma R, Sub Lt. Riti      Singh, and Sub Lt. Kumudini Tyagi.)

Women officers in the Indian Navy are finally taking the lead. For years now, women officers in the Indian armed forces have been in very small numbers.

According to Indian Navy, four women officers, today, passed the ‘Observe Course” and are set to join their duties.

Indian Navy’s Sub Lt Kumudini and Sub Lt Riti Singh are the first women officers to be deployed on a frontline warship as crew members. Both the naval officers will work as airborne tacticians. Meanwhile, Sub Lt. Afnan Sheikh and Sub Lt. Kreeshma R. will be operating fixed wing aircraft of the Navy.

Sub Lt Kumudini and Sub Lt Riti studied engineering and joined the Indian Navy in 2019. They successfully passed Indian Navy’s ‘ Observe Course’ at Southern Naval Command in Kochi on September 21.

All the four women officers participated in the batch of 21 Navy and Coast Guard personnel.

This comes as a landmark moment for Indian Navy, which got its first woman Navy pilot, Lieutenant Shivani, just nine months ago.

Women officers are rising from across the seas to fly higher in the skies.

India Conducts Successful Flight Test of ABHYAS from Odisha Test Range

India on Tuesday successfully conducted the flight test of ABHYAS - High-speed Expendable Aerial Target (HEAT) vehicles from a test range in Odisha.

The trial, carried out by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) from the Integrated Test Range (ITR) at Chandipur near here, was tracked by various radars and electro-optic systems, the sources said.

Congratulating DRDO on its achievement, defence minister Rajnath Singh said ABHYAS can be used as a target for evaluation of missile systems.

During the trial on Tuesday, two demonstrator vehicles were successfully test-flown, DRDO sources said.

ABHYAS has been designed and developed by the Aeronautical Development Establishment (ADE) of the DRDO.

The air vehicle is launched using twin underslung boosters. It is powered by a small gas turbine engine and has an Inertial Navigation System (INS) along with a Flight Control Computer (FCC) for guidance and control.

The vehicle has been programmed for fully autonomous flight. The check out of the vehicle is done using laptop- based Ground Control Station (GCS), a defence statement said.

During the test campaign, the user requirement of 5 km flying altitude, vehicle speed of 0.5 mach, endurance of 30 minutes and 2g turn capability of the test vehicle were successfully achieved, it said.

“It proved its performance in a fully autonomous waypoint navigation mode,” a DRDO source said.

HAL Indigenous Developed Light Utility Helicopter (LUH) Trials Complete....

HAL’s indigenously developed Light Utility Helicopter (LUH) demonstrated high altitude capability in Hot and High weather conditions in the Himalayas recently for about 10 days. 

A comprehensive test plan was executed at Leh (3300 MAMSL) in temperatures up to ISA+320C which included envelope expansion, performance and flying qualities.  LUH took off from Leh and demonstrated its hot and high hover performance at Daulat Beg Oldie (DBO) Advanced Landing Ground (ALG) at 5000 MAMSL. 

The helicopter also demonstrated its payload capability in Siachen glacier high altitude.  During the trials, pilots landed the helicopter at the highest helipads of Amar and Sonam. 

LUH took approx 3 ton maximum weight & It is power by one  Shakti Engine with Speed upto 250km/h.

Special Frontier Force (SFF) The Special Force Behind the Secret Operation in Pangong

Saturday night’s operation on the south bank of #Pangong Tso has brought into limelight the possible role of ‘Establishment 22’, a secret force also known as the Special Frontier Force (SFF) under the administrative control of the Cabinet secretariat and the PMO.

Senior Army officials acknowledged the presence of an SFF unit in eastern #Ladakh but its interaction with the #Army is minimal.

Raised towards the end of the 1962 war, SFF’s commandos are drawn from Tibetan refugees settled in India. They were initially trained by the #Intelligence Bureau, #RAW and #CIA for #covert operations behind enemy lines. In the first few decades after it was raised, the force was used to keep an eye on Chinese plans to deploy nuclear warheads.

The SFF gained its nickname ‘Establishment 22’ after its founder chief Sujan Singh Uban, who commanded the 22nd Mountain Regiment in the British Indian Army during World War II in Europe. Headquartered in Chakrata (Uttarakhand), it comprises at least five battalions or about 5,000 commandos who are elite paratroopers trained in mountain warfare.

No serving or retired Army officer would acknowledge the role of SFF in Saturday night’s operation but they all acknowledge the presence of SFF battalions in Ladakh and other places along the frontier. Lt Gen Syed Ata Hasnain (retired), former GOC of 15 Corps, said, “I have had ‘Vikas’ units alongside me while serving in Ladakh. Seen them play volleyball in vests at 16,000 feet. Their natural affinity for the ground too is very high, giving them a major advantage in operations.”

Others were less forthcoming and spoke on the condition of anonymity. “We know about them... But their existence has been off the books. The few of us who get to serve with them are under oath,” a retired lieutenant general said.

Lt Gen D S Hooda (retired), who headed the all-important Northern Command during the surgical strikes across the LoC, told TOI that it was time for India to give a strong message economically, diplomatically and, if required, militarily, given the stubborn position adopted by China. “The ball is now in China’s court,” he said, adding that the Indian military was in a very strong position to take on any challenge.

Indian Army Desi Artillery Guns

Artillery is considered to be single most lethal and widely used tool of battlefield since ages that’s more true in case of modern #artillery systems which are capable of introducing wide range and long distance precise damage to enemy’s camps, Given it’s huge importance in battle field India has not only procured new systems like M777 ultra light #howitzer and K-9 Vajra T from foreign vendor under joint venture with Indian firms, but has also worked in-house to develop multiple #gun systems, more importantly many of them coming from private sectors or through Strategic Partnership Policy between #DRDO and private companies.

         105/37mm Indian Field Guns

This gun system is based on Light field guns of UK and was developed by ARDE. The gun produced since 1984 by Gun Carriage Factory, Jabalpur weights around 2.4 tons and can be easily air transported by current Indian MI17V5 helicopters. These guns are fast and easy to deploy and are specially useful in mountainous terrain where bigger calibre guns finds it difficult to reach. It has elevation of -5 degrees to 73 degrees and traverse 5 degree left to 5 degree right and 360 degree on a firing platform. The gun can fire 6 rounds per minute for a continuous period of 10 minute in intense mode and 1 round per minute for 2 hours in sustained mode, with round achieving maximum distance of upto 17.2km. The gun is currently being upgraded with Digital Fire Control System and efforts are being made to increase the maximum range to 27km using Base Bleed rounds. There are more than 1500 pieces in service with around 1000+ mk1 variant and 500+ mk2 variants.

             105/37mm Garuda V2

The system is developed indigenously by KSSL by mounting 105/37mm gun on a 4 x 4 go anywhere vehicle(too developed by KSSL). The company claims that it can be fitted on any in-service light vehicle. It can achieve a speed of 100-120 km/h on-road and 70km/h off-road. The gun alone weights around 900kgs, which is quite a feat in itself as similar gun weights around 3 tons, and feature state of art hybrid soft recoil technology. It has an elevation of -5 degrees to 72 degrees and traverse 360 degrees. The gun can fire 3 rounds in 30 seconds in burst mode, 6 rounds per minute for upto 10 minutes in intense mode, and 75 rounds per hour in sustained mode. The maximum firing range is around 27 km while ammunition is carried on a separate vehicle. It features a digital fire control system which allow automatic target laying capability and ballistic computation using INS based sighting system with GPS aid etc. It can be deployed automatically within 1 minute. The system is currently under trial with the Indian Army and has been offered to the Saudi Arabian Army.

  105/37mm OFB mounted gun system

OFB created a lightweight mounted gun system by mounting its 105mm Indian Field Gun on a 6 x 6 truck. It weights less than 10 tons and has an elevation of -5 degrees to 70 degrees and traverse 360 degrees. The gun can fire 6 rounds per minute in intense mode and 60 rounds per hour in sustained mode with range of 19 km. It features a fire control system with GPS aid and also a muzzle reference system. It went through demonstration cum trial at Artillery School, Deolali, but the army was not interested in it.

       105/37mm OFB Tracked SPH

OFB, Medak developed a tracked self-propelled howitzer by combining 105mm Indian Field Gun with BMP chassis. It weights around 16 tons and has an elevation of -5 degrees to 70 degrees and traverse 360 degrees. The gun can fire 6 rounds per minute in intense mode and 60 rounds per hour in sustained mode. The maximum firing range is around 19 km, with vehicle carrying 42 rounds onboard. The vehicle is fully tracked with speed of 65km/h and is also air transportable. It can be deployed automatically within 1 minute. It features a fire control system with GPS aid and also a muzzle reference system, and turret has level III armor protection. This system too found no interest from the Indian Army.

       130mm Catapult SPH MK-I/II

 The CVRDE mounted the Russian M46 guns provided to them by the Indian Army on Vijayanta tank chassis to create 130mm Catapult MK-I SPH. The system got inducted in the Indian Army and the army was reportedly satisfied with its performance, which prompted them to request a more mobile and modern system on Arjun chassis. The CVRDE than mounted M46 on the Arjun chassis creating Catapult MK-II, which was considered better than Catapult MK-I in terms of both mobility and shock absorption while firing charged rounds. Catapult MK-II weights around 54 tons and has an elevation of -2 degrees to 45 degrees and traverse 14 degrees to the left to 14 degrees to the right. The gun can fire 8 rounds in 1 minute in intense mode and 5 rounds per minute in sustained mode. The maximum firing range is around 27.4 km, with a vehicle carrying 35 rounds and 35 bi-modular charges on board as compared to 30 in MK-1. The secondary armament is a 7.62mm machine gun. The vehicle is powered by a 1030 kW engine with a speed of 70km/h on-road and 40/km/h off-road and can clear a slope up to 35 degrees, with a range of 450km. It can be deployed automatically within 1 minute. It features a GPS display for commander and driver, an integrated fire detection and suppression system, and protection up to STANAG Level II. The army had 40 Catapult MK-I which were replaced by 40 Catapult Mk-II in 2016.

               155/45mm Dhanush

This gun system is based on Haubit FH77 famously known as bofors and is developed by Ordinance Factory Board after extensively studying the blueprints of bofors provided under TOT . It weights around 13 tons and has elevation of -3 degrees to 70 degrees and traverse 30 degree left to 30 degree right. The gun can fire 3 rounds in 15 seconds in burst mode, 15 rounds in 3 minutes in intense mode and 60 rounds per hour in sustained mode, with maximum range of upto 38km using base bleed round. It has an auxiliary power unit which allow it to be self propelled at a speed of 5kmph, it also allow operation of its hydraulic arm. It feature a digital fire control system which allow automatic target laying capability and ballistic computation using INS based sighting system with GPS aid, Muzzle velocity radar etc . It has already been inducted into Indian army and is currently under mass production by Gun Carriage Factory, Jabalpur since 2019 with 114 units on order. Total requirement for this gun is 450-800 units.

                  155/52mm ATAGS

The system is developed by DRDO in collaboration with 2 private sector industries i.e. TATA Advanced System and Bharat Forge. Both companies made 2 slightly different prototypes of the gun. The system currently weights 18 tons and has elevation of -5 degrees to 75 degrees and traverse 30 degree left to 30 degree right. The Bharat Forge variant has burst mode of 5 rounds in 1min, can fire 10 rounds in 2.5 min in intense mode while sustained rate is 60 rounds in 1 hour. On the other hand Tata variant has burst mode of 6 rounds in 1min, can fire 12 rounds in 2.5 min in intense mode while sustained rate is 60 rounds in 1 hour. It is the only system in the world which have 6 round magazine. The Bharat Forge gun set the world record of firing HE-ERFB BB round at 48 km range and HE-ERFB BT at 38.5km, while TATA one achieved range of 47.2km wit base bleed ammunition. The gun has an all electrical drive which is powered by an 110kW auxiliary power unit allowing it self-propelled speed of 18kmph. The ammunition is fed using hydraulic arm and on-board Digital fire control system allow ballistic computing and automatic target laying capabilities using INS based sighting system with GPS aiid, Muzzle velocity radar etc. The order for production of 150 guns has been cleared by DAC and it will be divided among both companies with L1 or company with lower price producing 107 units and L2 producing 43 units at prices offered by L1. Total requirement for this calibre is 2000 units.

155/52mm OFB Mounted Gun System

 

 The 155/52mm towed artillery gun of OFB was mounted on BEML – Tatra 8 x 8 truck to create a mounted gun system. It weighs around 30 tons and has an elevation of -3 degrees to 70 degrees and traverse 360 degrees. The gun can fire  3 rounds in 15 seconds in burst mode, 15 rounds in 3 minutes in intense mode, and 60 rounds per hour in sustained mode. The maximum firing range is around 42 km with a vehicle carrying  18 rounds and 18 bi-modular charges onboard.  The vehicle is powered by a 300 kW engine providing 10 kW/ton of thrust, with the vehicle achieving a speed of 80km/h on-road and 30/km/h off-road. The cruising range without refueling is around 1000km and it can be deployed automatically within 1 minute and in all types of terrain. The gun utilizes 3 round magazine with a hydraulic arm and autoloader. It features a digital fire control system that allows automatic target laying capability and ballistic computation using INS based sighting system with GPS aid, muzzle velocity radar, etc. The system has completed internal trials by OFB and is currently being tested by the Indian Army.

155/52mm Tata Mounted Gun System

Not a 100% indigenously developed system but a system developed by TATA SED (now TATA Aerospace & Defence) in partnership with DENEL Land Systems. The system has around 55% indigenous content. Apart from the vehicle on which it is mounted, the telecommunication system, ballistic computer, hydraulic system, gun management computer, all electrical system, etc are developed by TATA A&D, while gun barrel, muzzle brake, breech mechanism, autoloader, muzzle velocity radar, sighting system, etc. are provided by DENEL. It weights around 28 tons and has an elevation of -3 degrees to 75 degrees and traverse 360 degrees. The gun can fire 6 rounds per minute in intense mode and 60 rounds per hour in sustained mode. The maximum firing range is around 42.5 km with, vehicle carrying 27 rounds and 26 bi-modular charges onboard. The vehicle is powered by a 265 kW diesel engine, with speed of 85km/h on-road and 30/km/h off-road. The operational range without refueling is around 600km, and it can be deployed automatically within 1 minute. Since DENEL was blacklisted due to corruption charges, this project went nowhere, but now DENEL has been removed from the blacklist, so it is to be seen if this project is revived or not. 

              155/52mm Bhim SPH

The system was developed by DRDO with support from DENEL, South Africa. T6 turret by DENEL was incorporated with Arjun MBT chassis. It weights around 56 tons and has an elevation of -5 degrees to 75 degrees and traverse 360 degrees. The gun can fire 3 rounds in 20 seconds in burst mode, 8 rounds per minute for 3 minutes in intense mode, and 2 rounds per minute for 1 hour in sustained mode. The maximum firing range is around 42 km, with vehicle carrying 50 rounds (40 in autoloader) onboard and support fully-automatic ammunition loading and replenishment even while firing. The secondary armament is 7.62mm machine gun. The vehicle is powered by 1030 kW engine, with speed of 70km/h on-road and 45/km/h cross country, and can clear a slope upto 35 degrees. It can be deployed automatically within 1 minute. It features a fire control system with fully automated laying and navigation system, muzzle velocity radar, etc. Self-protection measures include armor protection upto 14.5mm, 81mm smoke grenade launcher for smokescreen, and an escape hatch for the crew. The system was cleared for production but due to blacklisting of DENEL, it was put on indefinite hold. As of 2016, DRDO was trying to revive the project with indigenous turret, but nothing has moved forward since then.

            155/45mm Bharat 45

With purchase of Noricum, Austria, the Kalyani group brought the entire manufacturing line to India. This gun is based on Noricum GHN-45. It weights around 12.5 tons and has elevation of -3 degrees to 72 degrees and traverse 40 degree left to 30 degree right. The gun can fire 3 rounds in 15 seconds in burst mode, 15 rounds in 3 minutes in intense mode and 42 rounds per hour in sustained mode, with maximum range of upto 38km using base bleed round. It has an auxiliary power unit which allow it to be self propelled at a speed of 25 kmph and feature Digital fire control system provided by Elbit. It has semi automatic ammunition handling system with backup manual arrangement. Though in the same category as Dhanush, the gun is most likely for export only.

              155/52mm Bharat 52

This gun is further development of Noricum GHN-45. It weights around 15 tons and has elevation of -3 degrees to 72 degrees and traverse 35 degree left to 35 degree right. The gun can fire 3 rounds in 30 seconds in burst mode, 12 rounds in 3 minutes in intense mode and 42 rounds per hour in sustained mode, with maximum range of upto 41-45 km using base bleed round. It has an auxiliary power unit which allow it to be self propelled at a speed of 21 kmph. It features digital fire control system which allow automatic target laying capability and ballistic computation using INS based sighting system with GPS Aid, muzzle velocity radar etc. The gun is competition to DRDO ATAGS which too is manufactured by Bharat Forge . Indian Army has concern with weight of ATAGS which is on the higher end of 18 ton as compared to other system around the world which weights around 13-15 tons. So this gun can get attraction of Indian Army however it lacks the burst firing capability of ATAGS. Currently this gun is being tested by Saudi Arabia for its army and recent news suggests it is also entered final testing phase of Indian Army.

             155/39mm MARG-T/S

The gun developed by Kalyani strategic Systems ltd as a direct competition to M777 ULH of BAE, US currently being produced under a joint venture with Mahindra. The Titanium version weights only 4.5 tons and is easily deployable in mountain terrain and can also be airlifted using Chinook Helicopter of IAF. The steel version weights 6.8 tons and is cheaper option to titanium version as titanium is costly. It is equipped with Digital Fire Control System which include Advanced Inertial Navigation and Aiming System , muzzle velocity radar etc and has a semi automatic breech operating system. It is manually steered and has elevation of -3 degrees to 70 degrees and traverse 23 degree left to 23 degree right. The gun can fire 4 rounds in 1 minute for 2 minutes in intense mode and 75 rounds per hour in sustained mode, with maximum range of upto 27.4 km using base bleed round. Any future requirement (which maybe around 500units) for Ultra light howitzer is likely to be met with this gun. The system is under trials with Indian Army.  

            155/52mm ULH ER

The indigenously developed towed light weight howitzer of higher calibre by Kalyani strategic systems ltd for mountainous terrains. It weights around 8 tons and is manually steered with elevation of -3 degrees to 70 degrees and traverse 23 degree left to 23 degree right and features a digital fire control system. The gun can fire 3 rounds in 30 seconds in burst mode, 12 rounds in 3 minutes in intense mode and 42 rounds per hour in sustained mode, with maximum range of upto 41 km using base bleed round. Currently requirement of this category of howitzer by Indian Army is unknown but it can definitely tap some export market.

              155/45mm Sharang

These are basically 130mm M46 guns of Russian origin which are upgraded by OFB with 155/45mm Sharang kit. Each upgrade costing less than Rs.75 lakh makes it almost a new gun. The upgrade kit include a new 155mm barrel, a new breech block along with hydraulic rammer to ease the loading. It will also feature a new sighting system. Basically cannot be strictly classified as a howitzer but artillery gun system, weighting around 8.5 tons and having elevation of 0 degrees to 45 degrees and traverse 25 degree to left and 25 degree to right. The range has been increased to 39km. Initially up-gunning 180 units was done with help Israeli company Soltam( now Elbit) under Project Karan. But now under new tender OFB is up-gunning 300 units on its own and is suppose to supply them to army by 2022.