Indian Army Aims to Replace Its Entire Fleet of Towed Artillery Guns with 155mm 52 Caliber Guns by 2045

In a game-changing announcement, Baba Kalyani, Chairman of Bharat Forge, revealed the Indian Army's ambitious goal of replacing its entire fleet of towed artillery guns with the advanced 155mm 52 caliber guns by 2040-45. This major modernization effort aims to equip the Army with approximately 4,000 of these powerful, long-range weapons, transforming India's artillery capabilities.

The decision to standardize on the 155mm/52 caliber platform is a strategic move driven by the increasing importance of long-range fire support in modern warfare. These guns offer superior range and accuracy compared to older models, providing the Army with a crucial advantage on the battlefield.

Kalyani emphasized that this transition is a long-term commitment, indicating a steady and phased approach to acquiring and integrating these new artillery systems. While the current mainstay is the K9 Vajra-Tracked Self-Propelled Howitzer, the Army is actively exploring multiple avenues to achieve its 155mm goal:

• Procuring ATAGS: Indigenous Advanced Towed Artillery Gun Systems (ATAGS) are being acquired to bolster the 155mm arsenal.
• Ordering TGS: A lighter version, the Tracked Gun System (TGS), is also slated for acquisition, with a substantial order expected.
• Upgrading M777s: Existing M777 155mm/39 caliber guns will be upgraded to the 52 caliber standard, ensuring that no existing firepower is left behind in this modernization drive.

The Indian Army's ambitious 155mm plan is a clear signal of its commitment to staying at the forefront of military technology. This move towards standardizing artillery is expected to enhance the Army's operational effectiveness, firepower, and strategic reach on the battlefield.

In the News: The Indian Army has recently proposed acquiring an additional 400 155mm 52 caliber towed gun systems (TGS) from Indian firms under the 'Buy Indian-IDDM' category, further solidifying its commitment to domestic defense manufacturing.

This shift in artillery capabilities represents a significant step forward for the Indian Army, demonstrating its determination to maintain a strong and modern defense force. The complete transition to 155mm/52 caliber guns by 2045 will undoubtedly mark a new era in India's artillery prowess.

 

[Anant]

If the Army has got a requirement like this, one hopes they would also set a minimum requirement for self-propelled artillery within those. Towed guns are all well and good, but some of their disadvantages are also fairly obvious in Ukraine. SPA also has challenges, but we don't have SPA in anything near decent numbers.

 

[Kira]

I think the timeline is just too long so as to be completed by 2040s.

 

[GMR]

Our invincible Army can win a two front war, as parroted by our IA & IAF chiefs, without any gun.. Cause, in more than 20 yrs. of Artellery modernisation plan, they have acquired 224 confirmed guns & no body knows how many Dhanus.

 

[DrEaDlOcK]

Army be like. "we are committed to indigenous products"
& then they'll just import the Foreign Maal either under EMERGENCY procurement or giving the old lame excuses. The desi equipment is not matching with the GSQr that army had provided and it has consumed too much of our time that's why we'll be importing Israeli, french and Korean systems to complete the urgent requirements.
& then once the product completes the Solar system trails under all whether conditions. They'll be buying 100 units.
As showing the commitment towards Desi Products.

 

[NSR]

MoD or Indian Army is not moving fast enough to fill the Howitzer requirements.

For starters, India must build another 200 K-9 Vajra with L&T if South Korea offers Gun and total subsystems indigenization.
This would help IA immensely.

Let India fund every public and private player in India to produce their Howitzers for IA so that it can operate and evaluate them and improve them further as time goes on.

Waiting too long is not an option.

 

[Banjo Strings]

Army be like. "we are committed to indigenous products"
& then they'll just import the Foreign Maal either under EMERGENCY procurement or giving the old lame excuses. The desi equipment is not matching with the GSQr that army had provided and it has consumed too much of our time that's why we'll be importing Israeli, french and Korean systems to complete the urgent requirements.
& then once the product completes the Solar system trails under all whether conditions. They'll be buying 100 units.
As showing the commitment towards Desi Products.

Yes, this is just what's happening and it is infuriating

 

[Sandeep]

India will need to buy more heavy artillery guns as the threat level from China is going to increase. Currently we have developed a variety of indigenous guns which meet the requirements that the military is looking for. But India needs to focus on buying more mounted guns on trucks and tracked versions like the K9 SPH which we need to produce in large numbers under a license until we develop our own indigenous version.

 

[Hraday]

Procurement fools in Indian Army are delaying the artillery acquisition under one pretext or other….. shame

 

[Sridhar]

I think the timeline is just too long so as to be completed by 2040s.

4000 Howitzers will take time if the average production rate is pegged around 18 to 20 guns annually.

 

[Borodine]

Our invincible Army can win a two front war, as parroted by our IA & IAF chiefs, without any gun.. Cause, in more than 20 yrs. of Artellery modernisation plan, they have acquired 224 confirmed guns & no body knows how many Dhanus.

I think that atleast 2 regiments of Dhanush are already operational and probably another will be operationalized by the end of the year. The bigger issue is that the MoD isnt clearing any of the acquisitions, the order for 100 more vajras and 307 ATAGS has been lying in front of the MoDs desk for a long time now without getting cleared. This is an unnecessary delay. They could have also ordered 200 mounted 105mm's by now instead of this pointless charade of bringing out a tender for these systems.

 

[Bikramjeet Goswami]

4000 Howitzers will take time if the average production rate is pegged around 18 to 20 guns annually.

A major manufacturer can easily make 18-20 howitzers a month and probably much more depending on urgency. Things don't move fast in India because there is no coherent long term policy on defence acquisition.

 

[Kira]

4000 Howitzers will take time if the average production rate is pegged around 18 to 20 guns annually.

I believe the usual annual capacity for howitzers around Indian plants is about 100,which of course can be raised substantially depending on the orderbook.

 

[Ajath Shri]

A major manufacturer can easily make 18-20 howitzers a month and probably much more depending on urgency. Things don't move fast in India because there is no coherent long term policy on defence acquisition.

The past records is not all encouraging. 18 Guns in 12 months has been the best so far.