Itanagar: The Indian Army has set up a new artillery firing range in Arunachal Pradesh’s Tawang sector, making it the first in a high-altitude area.
Arunachal Pradesh falls under the Eastern Command of the Indian Army.
The new artillery firing range has helped the Army to practice the firing of howitzers and other important weapon systems.
Director General of Artillery, Lt Gen Adosh Kumar, at a media briefing in New Delhi, said, “A new firing range has been set up in the Tawang sector where we can fire our howitzers and test their capabilities. This is the first high-altitude range and we are trying to find more ranges in other states.”
He said that activating this range in the northern border would give the artillery “a sense of actual operational environment.
Lt Gen Kumar said that in the past two years, the Army has identified two firing ranges in Arunachal Pradesh. While the one in Tawang has been operationalised, the other is in the process of getting notified, he added.
Given the ongoing standoff with China along the Line of Actual Control (LAC), the new firing range in Arunachal Pradesh is strategically significant.
The officer said, “Our modernisation and capability development plan align with the ‘Atmanirbharta’ drive and is based on the principle of modernisation through indigenisation.”
The Army is looking at increasing the range of high explosive pre-fragmented (HEPF) shells by a range of 15-20 percent. Lt Gen Kumar said while trials were over, the contract was in the final stages and would likely be signed in this financial year.
The Army is also engaged in procuring loiter munitions, swarm drones as well as runway independent remotely-piloted aircraft systems, or RPAS. Several 155 mm calibre guns or howitzers have been inducted in the Regiment of Artillery and these include ultra-light Howitzer (ULH), K-9 Vajra, Dhanush and Sharang.
ULH have been inducted along the northern borders, Lt Gen Kumar said. They are lighter in weight and can be carried underslung by helicopters. K-9 Vajra Gun System is ideal for mechanised operations. Dhanush Guns are an electronic upgrade of Bofors Guns, while the Sharang Gun Systems has been upgraded from 130 mm to 155 mm calibre, he added.
He said that more K-9 Vajra, Dhanush and Sharang gun systems would be inducted in the near future.
“We are also in the process of inducting other 155 mm gun systems to include Advanced Towed Artillery Gun System (ATAGS), Mounted Gun System (MGS) and Towed Gun System (TGS),” he said.
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ATAGS is fully designed and developed by DRDO along with two private development-cum-production partners. The contract is likely to be concluded soon. Trials for both MGS and TGS are likely to commence in 2025, the officer added.
The Lt General said the Army was also looking at procuring futuristic ammunition.
