The first acquisition of artillery guns since Bofors 30 years back is expected to be a game-changer in securing India's border in the tough mountainous terrains of Ladakh and Arunachal Pradesh
The ultra light Howitzer artillery guns used by US forces in Afghanistan will soon be used by the Indian Army to boost military capabilities to guard the China frontier. The first acquisition of artillery guns since Bofors 30 years back is expected to be a game-changer in securing India's border in the tough mountainous terrains of Ladakh and Arunachal Pradesh. Army sources say a blueprint on deployment of the guns is being made and according to the plan most a high number will be used along the China border. The light weight guns can be transported by air unlike the Bofors that has to be carried to high altitude regions only by road.
"There is an infrastructure void with little road connectivity along the China border making the transport of Bofors difficult. The Howitzer is a light gun that can be dismantled," said an army source.
Sources also add while they can be used to combat Pakistani forces as well but Chinese border is where the light guns can have a big impact. The gun has a range of 35- 40 kms. While the high mountainous regions along the western frontier has good roads the situation on the eastern border is different. "The Bofors gun can be transported by trucks to the Pakistan border. But that's not the case with China border leaving critical gaps," said a source.
The Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) led by Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar cleared the acquisition of 145 guns that was stuck due to some technical issues. Sources say a nod from the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) is expected soon after which the acquisition process can begin. The cost of acquiring the 145 guns is more than Rs. 5,000 crore. The CCS clearance is mandatory for acquisitions over Rs. 1,000 crore.
India had sent a Letter of Request to the US government showing interest in buying the guns and the US had responded with a Letter of Acceptance (LoA) and the Ministry of Defence had in June looked into the terms and conditions and approved it. While 25 guns will come t in a fly away condition, the rest will be assembled at the proposed Assembly Integration and Test facility for the weapon system in India in partnership with Mahindra.
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