NEW DELHI: During the recent visit of the UK prime minister to India, the two country’s have struck an arms deal to enhance the fighting capability of the Indian Army. A $1000 million contract between the two nations will result in adding teeth to the armored formations of Indian army.
The British Vickers Ship Building and Engineering Limited (VSEL) will supply the 155mm gun which will be mounted on modified Vijyanta chassis and powered by Russian T72 engine. The hybrid SP gun will enter service by the end of 1993.
For some time the Research and Development Department of India had been experimenting with this hybridized 90 SP gun system. The stability and mobility tials have been found to be successful. The cost of each AS90 turret will be over $2.3 million which will add to the counties’ ever rising Defense budget. At present the Indian Army is having the obsolete Abbot SP guns and the Catapult’ a hybrid of 130 mm Russian gun mounted on a Vijayanta chaises.
These guns support the tanks in battle and were found unable to keep pace with the T72 tanks of the armored formations. The self-propelled guns are an important constituent of a tank formation as they are required to support the tanks in battle and destroy enemy tanks and other targets from a distance. A one 155mm gun can also be used to project a tactical nuclear warhead. The Catapult and Abbot guns are not adequate to meet the requirement of the military and have been a sore point for a long time.
The weeklong visit of the Army chief Gen.S.F.Rodrigues to UK recently, assumes significance, as he was expected to discuss the gun trial results under subcontinent conditions with VSEL officials. The other important issue likely to figure during the Chief’s stay relates to the shortage and standardized 155mm calibre ammunition, which is common to the Bofors guns (410 guns are with the army) and the UK AS90 gun.
The section of this hybridized gun puts to rest a 10 year search for a self-propelled gun. While trials of various equipment were conducted during this period, the most recent and attractive offer was the US M109 gun negotiations, which fell through mainly for political reasons. While Pakistan has US M109 A2 version, India was offered M109 A5 version by Washington initially during Gen SF. Rodrigues visit to US in August 1991. The ideal combination, however, which did not materialize for unknown reasons, was the French package in the early 80s of GCT (SP) for armored formations and Tract 55 towed version for the mountains. This combination having similar ordnance, ammunition and manufactured by the same company would have well suited the Army’s requirements. The former Soviet Union had offered their package of 2S5 152 (SP) and 152 mm light towed howitzer.
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