Post-Kargil artillery becomes a forgotten unit

NEW DELHI, MARCH 3: The artillery which hoped to get its ``rightful place''after the Kargil war for its role in re-capturing enemy-held pe...

NEW DELHI, MARCH 3: The artillery which hoped to get its “rightful place”after the Kargil war for its role in re-capturing enemy-held peaks is adisappointed force. Upgradation of artillery is not top priority still,though the budget windfall for defence gave a lion’s share to the Army.

During the Kargil conflict, the Army had inflicted maximum damage on enemyconcentrations through direct firing of 155-mm Howitzers. Post-conflict, theArmy felt a need to upgrade its artillery. “After all, the latest that wehave (Bofors) is almost a decade and a half old. We need higher-calibre,longer-range guns and smart ammunition precision firing in futureengagements,” an official in the Artillery Directorate said.

Though the Army is engaged in Siachen and all along the Line of Control(LoC) where currently there is a no war-no peace situation and where heavyartillery exchanges are normal, the main thrust of modernisation remains inthe desert sector, sources said. The artillery is peeved, for it is onceagain playing second fiddle to the Armoured Corps.

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“Tanks. And more tanks. This is just fascination for size. The bosses wantto have big tanks. There is no immediate threat from the Punjab-Rajasthanborders. Yet, top-priority acquisitions include T-90 tanks and UnmannedAerial Vehicles. Some of the UAVs cannot even be used in high-altitude areasand yet are being acquired,” sources said.

But, according to a senior official at the Army headquarters, the Artillery(guns) vs Armoured (tanks) debate is just a matter of perception. “Ourprinciple adversary (Pakistan) has acquired T-80 tanks from Ukraine. Thisgives them an edge over us. This is more about conventional deterrence thanactual fighting on the ground.

"When we have T-90s, the chances of Pakistan daring to violate the LoC orthe border are reduced considerably. Pakistan would know that if theyviolate the LoC, we can go across and cut off Sindh and divide Pakistan,”he noted.

A senior official in the headquarters added that artillery modernisation wasalso in the pipeline. “We are keen on new multi-barrel rocket launchers andhigher-calibre weapons. Also, we are on the lookout for weapon-locatingradars. Soon we should be acquiring modern equipment. These arecapital-intensive investments and take time,” he added.

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But artillery officials are not impressed by this logic. “Despite theconventional superiority that we enjoy in plains, Pakistan did attack us inKargil and occupied our territory. We need to improve our ability to defendthe burning frontiers first and then strengthen other flanks. Otherwise,there is no point in putting a strong door on the fort if the walls are weakand porous,” an artillery officer reasoned. “Infantry is called the Queenof the Battle. We continue to remain the other woman,” he added.