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1 4/2017 SP’s LAND FORCES

PAGE 3EXCLUSIVE Interview

Lt General P.K. SrivastavaDirector General of Artillery, Indian Army

PAGE 8Modernisation of Artillery in the Indian ArmyAttempts are now being made to resurrect and fulfil its long-postponed 1999 Field Artillery Rationalisation Plan (FARP), under which the army aims to import, locally develop, and licence-produce around 3,000, 155mm howitzers of various categories to equip 220-odd artillery regiments for an estimated `56,000 crore to `63,000 crore ($8-9 billion).

Lt General V.K. Kapoor (Retd)

PAGE 10Infantry Deprived of Basic WeaponryInfantry is indeed the most vital combat arm of Indian army whose roles range from countering terrorism and insurgencies in peace and in war, conducting defensive and offensive operations in the mountains, plains, and deserts and when required be an important part of an out of area contingency force.

Lt General V.K. Kapoor (Retd)

PAGE 11Dynamic Approach of the New Defence MinisterThe Ministry of Defence is a mammoth ministry with a very large number of defence public sector industrial units whose efficiency and output is by and large unsatisfactory.

Lt General V.K. Kapoor (Retd)

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PHOTOGRAPH: Indian Army

See Page 16

Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman with General Bipin Rawat, COAS and Lt General P.K. Srivastava, DG Artillery

Over a period of time Regiment of Artillery has become a highly effective fighting machine which delivers fire power wherever and whenever required and assists in shaping the battlefield

Guns and Glory – A Saga of Dedication and Valour

GUNNERS DAY SPECIAL

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2 SP’s LAND FORCES 4/2017

LT GENERAL NARESH CHAND (RETD)

Historically artillery was

first employed by the roman

legions at syracuse in 399 Bc

but until the introduction of

gunpowder, artillery was solely

dependent on mechanical means of lobby-

ing a large object or a huge stone towards

the enemy. the roman army was very

successful in employing artillery weapons

like the ballistae which was more or less a

giant catapult. Gunpowder was invented in

china during the late tang dynasty in 9th

century but the earliest record of a writ-

ten formula appeared in the song dynasty

during the 11th century. since then the

progress of artillery as a battle winning

factor was relentless and inventive. artil-

lery became the most lethal land based

armament and caused the majority of the

combat casualties during world war i and

ii. in 1944, Joseph stalin called artillery

“the God of war”.

Artillery in IndiaGuns were first used on the indian sub con-

tinent guns by Babur during the Battle of

Paniput in 1526. However, there are records

to show that guns were employed in battle

earlier. the east india company raised the

first regular company of artillery in 1748,

with a small percentage of indian Gunners

called Gun lashkars, tindals and serangs.

Bombay artillery was raised on septem-

ber 28,1827 and was later on renamed 5

Bombay Mountain Battery. thus september

28 is celebrated as the ‘Gunners Day’. the

first indian war of independence started at

Meerut on May 10, 1857 which resulted in

total ban by the British on the indian artil-

lery units except mountain artillery batter-

ies. a few indian Mountain Batteries were

raised in the 19th century and formed part

of the royal artillery. these batteries were

officered by the British. During the late 19th

century, the indian Gunners saw action in

abyssinia (ethiopia), afghanistan, aden,

Burma, somaliland (somalia), tibet, Persia

(iran) and the erstwhile North west fron-

tier Province. the advent of the first world

war gave indian artillery an opportunity to

show their real mettle. the indian Moun-

tain Batteries served with rare courage and

enterprise on the battlefields of Mesopo-

tamia (iraq), east africa, Gallipoli, Persia,

egypt and Palestine. the British Govern-

ment reviewed their order of the banning

native artillery, and thus on January 15,

1935, ‘a’ field Brigade, comprising four

batteries of horse-drawn guns, was raised

at Bangalore. ‘a’ field Brigade was the first

artillery unit to be officered by indians. 2

lt (later lt General) P.s. Gyani was the first

indian officer to be commissioned into an

artillery unit. in 1937 the mountain bat-

teries were transferred to the indian artil-

lery, which later became 1st indian field

regiment. the generic title the regiment

of indian artillery was conferred upon the

new arm. B field Brigade and the first unit

of the anti-tank, anti-aircraft and coastal

artillery were also raised.

world war ii saw indian Gunners in

action in east and North africa, Middle east

and displayed valour and dedication. By the

end of second world war indian gunners

had won one Victoria cross, one George

Medal, 15 Military crosses, two ioMs,

22 iDsMs, 18 Military Medals, five oBes,

one MBe, three British empire Medals, 13

Burma Gallantry Medals and 467 “Jangi

inams”. During 1947 indian artillery was

allotted eighteen and half of all types of

artillery regiments while Pakistan was allot-

ted the remaining nine and half units.

Jammu and Kashmir OperationsDuring the Jammu and Kashmir operations

of 1947-48, 1 siKH Battalion was trans-

ported to srinagar by air and personnel of 2

field regiment (sP) and 13 field regiment

were employed in infantry role under capt

r.l. chauhan of 13 field regiment until

the first week of November 1947 when four

3.7 inch howitzer reached the area. the

artillery units then helped in driving out the

infiltrators, successfully defended srinagar

airfield and subsequent rout of Pakistani

tribesmen in Jammu region and Kashmir

Valley. artillery played a dominant role in

recapture of Poonch, rajauri, thangdar,

tithwal, Dras and Kargil.

Against China in 1962chinese army attacked indian positions

on october 10, 1962 in general area of

tawang in Kameng frontier Division. on

october 23 chinese came through Bum la

Pass and attacked 1 siKH position. they

were immediately engaged by the guns

of 7 (Bengal) Mountain Battery directed

by capt Gosal which broke the attack.

artillery kept supporting the infantry till

tawang was abandoned. subsequently

guns of 116 Mortar Battery, 34 Heavy

LEAD STORY

Nirmala Sitharaman has been

made the Defence Minister of

India and has taken over her

new appointment on September

7, 2017. The fact that the Prime

Minister of India has entrusted

her with this important portfo-

lio also speaks volumes for her

administrative talent and past

efficiency when she was hold-

ing the Commerce portfolio as a

Minister of State. Ms Sitharaman

is the first woman Defence Min-

ister of the country since Indira

Gandhi held the charge and to

her credit, she has “hit the ground

running”. She has already stated that she intends to hold daily meetings with all three service

chiefs and the defence secretary to ensure quick decision making

in her ministry. She has laid spe-

cial emphasis on the need to step

up the pace of military procure-

ment which despite some dyna-

mism showed by the erstwhile defence minister Manohar Parri-

kar in the past, the state of equip-

ment modernisation and replace-

ment of obsolete weaponry, on the ground, is deplorable in the

army. In the Indian Army from basic weapons like carbines and

assault rifles, to artillery howitzers and helicopters, surveillance and

communication equipment, night

fighting aids, etc all need replace-

ment. Moreover, even certain cat-

egories of ammunition are in such

short supply that training ammu-

nition is being curtailed. So while

at one end our military leaders are talking about their capability to fight a two and a half front war at the same time the Finance cum

Defence Minister was responding

to the Chinese taunt, of the need

to learn lessons from 1962 war

during the Dokalam standoff, by saying “The situation in 1962 was different and India of 2017 is dif-

ferent”. While the nation applauds

the military bravado and the politi-cal polemic against the Chinese

taunt yet it does not in any way reflect the preparedness of the nation for war. The poor state of

equipment modernisation and

lack of replacement of obsolete

weapons especially in the case of the army, is alarming. Hence we recommend reserve and restraint

on part of our leaders till we have

acquired the desired capabilities

and they need dynamism in their approach to acquiring the capa-

bilities which are considered vital

to win future conflicts.

While there are many chal-lenges facing the new Defence

Minister, the lack of modernisation

of the three services is unmis-

takably the first priority as far as operational preparedness is con-

cerned and therefore all that is

required in this sphere of activity must be done at the earliest. Why is it that we are cancelling the

request for proposals (RFPs) after

many months of field trials of new equipment. This has happened

in the case of the assault rifles, close quarter battles carbines and

the light machine guns with the

result that the army is functioning either without these weapons or

with operationally inadequate and obsolescent equipment. And this phenomenon of rejection is hap-

pening again and again? What is

wrong with us?

We recommend that the

Defence Minister identifies her Key Result Areas (KRAs) so that she can focus on specific

areas of prime concern and

not drift or digress to areas of

lesser importance.

We convey our best wishes to the defence minister, Ms

Nirmala Sitharaman, for a con-

structive and rewarding tenure,

while implementing and over-

seeing major changes in the

Ministry of Defence. This is a special issue on the

occasion of the Artillery Raising Day and comprises an interview of the Director General Artillery along with a brief history of this vital arm of the army and an arti-cle on modernisation of artillery apart from other articles of topi-

cal interest.

ED

IT

OR

IA

L

Lt General V.K. Kapoor (Retd)

Bofors Gun helped the Indian Army to win the Kargil War against Pakistan in 1999

PHOTOGRAPHS: Indian Army

Continued on page 6...

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3 4/2017 SP’s LAND FORCES

INTERVIEW

SP’s Land Forces (SP’s): What is likely to be the shape of the future battlefield and the likely roles of artillery in this new dispensation?Director General of Artillery (DG): likely shape of the

future battlefield and the roles of artillery in new dispen-

sation would be as under:

lLikely Shape of Future Battle Field. the future

battlefield will be characterised by short and intense

engagements; non – linear battles; simultaneity of oper-

ations; increased battle field transparency; synergised

and orchestrated employment of fire power resources

and employment of precision and high lethality weapon

systems in a hybrid warfare environment. all of this

under the overall backdrop of a nuclear, biological and

chemical warfare threat.

lLikely Roles of Artillery in this Dispensation. the

role of artillery in such a dispensation i.e. a short and

intense futuristic battlefield are as under:

– Due to high tempo of operations, there will be a

requirement of real time surveillance and target

acquisition at all stages of battle. this would entail

employment of state-of-the-art surveillance equip-

ment like battlefield surveillance radars, electro

optronics devices and remotely piloted vehicles

(rPVs) of various types.

– synergised and orchestrated employment of all avail-

able firepower resources to shape the battlefield and to

degrade the enemy in contact and depth battle entail-

ing employment of mortars, guns and long range vec-

tors in conjunction with indian air force to achieve

decisive defeat of the enemy. therefore artillery should

have a balance of guns (towed and self propelled), rock-

ets and missiles. there is also a need to have a variety of

ammunition and warheads to achieve desired results

at the target with minimum burden on logistics.

– artillery will be responsible for detecting enemy artil-

lery and rocket positions with the help of weapon

locating radars and effectively neutralise them with

own firepower resources.

– the trend is towards precision so as to reduce logistic

cost of each successful engagement.

– Dependance on artillery to achieve favourable out-

comes will increase.

SP’s: Military analysts often talk about the characteristic of fire power to shape a battlefield. Can you elaborate on this issue for the understanding of the layman?DGArty: shaping the battlefield is a concept involved in

the practice of manoeuvre warfare that refers to shaping

a desired situation on the battlefield and gaining military

advantage for own forces. successful shaping of the battle-

field facilitates channelising the enemy to conform to own

strategy and will. in this, artillery plays a major role, which

includes discerning the enemies’ intentions by employ-

ing surveillance resources; engaging them with firepower

simultaneously in forward and depth areas as well as on the

flanks, and employing appropriate fire power assets with the

intention of making them lose their initiative, coherence

and force them to fight a disorganised battle while ensuring

the integrity of own forces and plans.

SP’s: What are the future trends in the development of gun systems as there is a view that it has reached its plateau of development in terms of reach, destructive power and accuracy?

PHOTOGRAPH: Indian Army

‘Successful shaping of battlefield facilitates channelising of the enemy to conform to own strategy and will’Lt General P.K. Srivastava, Director General of Artillery, in an exclusive interview with SP’s Land Forces, on the occasion of the Gunners Day on September 28, 2017, covered a wide range of subjects including the role of Artillery in the future battlefield, future artillery technologies and modernisation of Artillery.

EXCLUSIVE

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4 SP’s LAND FORCES 4/2017

INTERVIEW

DGArty: while delivery means may have

reached a plateau in reach of gun systems,

a lot of work is on for improving the efficacy

of ammunition. this includes improved

accuracies and destructive power. Micro

electronics are being increasingly used for

development of smart, precision, near pre-

cision and area denial ammunition systems.

at present the technology is extremely

expensive and needs to be refined to make it

qualify in a cost benefit analysis.

SP’s: What are your plans to develop/ acquire precision guided ammunitions? What are the ranges and the type of accu-racy that you are looking for?DGArty: we would be interested in afford-

able solutions for smart ammunition, pre-

cision ammunition or ammunition with

improved accuracy at ranges of up to 45 km

for guns. typically a precision system has to

give pin point accuracy while a near preci-

sion ammunition should provide accuracies

of up to 30-50 m. in addition, solutions for

extension of range of 155mm ammunition

beyond 45 km with precision capability are

also of interest to us. army has commenced

involvement of academia and industry in

addition to DrDo/ofB through initiatives

of army Design Bureau and army tech

Board for the purpose.

SP’s: After about 25 years of neglect, it is now understood that attempts are afoot by the Army to fulfill its long-postponed 1999 Field Artillery Rationalisation Plan (FARP), under which the army aims to import, locally develop, and licence-produce some 2,820-3,000 assorted 155mm howitzers to equip its artillery regiments. Would you like to amplify on the progress so far?DGArty: artillery rationalization Plan

was first perceived in year 2000, wherein

155mm was made the standard gun system

for indian artillery. accordingly, ‘artillery

Profile’ was conceived and promulgated

with emphasis on Mediumisation of artil-

lery. since then, based on our operational

necessity, concerted effort has resulted in

successfully contracting of 155mm/39

cal Ultra-light Howitzers from Us Govern-

ment and 155mm/52 cal tracked (self

Propelled) artillery guns with l & t. to

give impetus to indigenisation major proj-

ects such as 155 mm/45 cal Dhanush Gun

system, design and development by ofB

and 155 mm/52 calibre advance towed

artillery Gun system (ataGs) designed by

DrDo in partnership with private industry

is also being pursued.

SP’s: It was reported that in May 2015 the Ministry of Defence (MoD) approved the import of 145 M777s, 155mm ultra light howitzer, along with Selex Laser Inertial Artillery Pointing Systems through the US foreign military sales programme. Can you elaborate on its progress?DGArty: the contract for procurement of

145 Nos of 155mm/9 calibre Ultra light

Howitzer (UlH) was signed with Us Gov-

ernment in Nov 2016. these howitzers are

being procured under Us foreign Military

sales Programme. as per the contract, Us

Government will deliver 25 fully formed

howitzers from Usa/UK and balance 120

howitzers will be assembled in india. the

delivery of these howitzers will be com-

pleted over a period of four years.

SP’s: What is the progress on Dhanush Towed Howitzer 155mm, 45 calibre, being manufactured by the OFB?DGArty: 155mm/45 calibre Dhanush

towed Howitzer being manufactured by

ofB has completed the field evaluation

trials (fet) less DGQa trials of automatic

Gun sighting system and Digital intercom-

munication system. the guns are currently

undergoing the user exploitation to test

the robustness and efficacy of the system.

recently, within a span of three months,

in summer of 2017, two incidents were

noticed during the user exploitation phase

at Pokhran and investigation has been

ordered to establish the cause. once the

investigation is completed, remedial action

will be taken and user exploitation will be

resumed. Post successful Gs evaluation

and user exploitation, the Bulk Production

clearance (BPc) will be granted to ofB.

SP’s: Are there any new developments in mortar systems that artillery should look-ing at?DGArty: Presently regiment of artillery is

holding 120mm Mortar regiments which

are mainly orbatted to field formations in

mountains/high altitude area (Haa). How-

ever, as per operational and tactical require-

ment for high angle firing with higher rate

of fire in mountains/Haa, the importance

of mortars is likely to continue in the future.

the existing 120mm mortar is reliable,

robust and meeting our operational and

tactical requirements. the development of

guided bombs for increasing the accuracy

and range are under consideration depend-

ing on cost benefit analysis.

SP’s: The battlefield is getting deeper with long range artillery weapons resulting in the requirement of better target acquisition and battle damage assessment systems. What are the plans for the modernisation of Surveillance and Target Acquisition branch of the Indian Artillery?DGArty: the surveillance and target acqui-

sition aspects contribute to real time situa-

tional awareness and targeting. this is a key

result area for us. we are in the process of

developing multi-dimensional, multi-spec-

tral and all weather capability for the same

to be able to cover the length and breadth of

the battle space. for this we are developing

satellite, airborne as well as ground based

capability. sensors ranging from airborne

synthetic aperture radars, and optical

devices to ground based battlefield surveil-

lance radars, weapon locating radars and

electro-optical sensor are available. we are

in touch with domestic and international

advances in these technologies and con-

stantly seek to upgrade and develop indig-

enous solutions in consonance with opera-

tional environment.

SP’s: A part of the Battle Management System (BMS), is every artillery weapon platform to be a ‘situational awareness platform’ or is this going to be done on a selective basis?DGArty: artillery is a part of the BMs. How-

ever, this is still at evolving stage. Unlike

other arms of army, artillery command

and control centres will be made BMs com-

patible, rather than platforms.

SP’s: Sensors play an important role in the present battle field for providing persistent situational awareness by day, night and adverse weather conditions. What are your plans for acquiring such advance systems?DGArty: our rPVs are capable of spot

surveillance on any emerging target. we

are looking at wide area electro-optical

payloads and exploiting the synthetic

aperture radar, payloads along with on

demand satellite/imagery to enable acqui-

sition of persistent surveillance capability

over any given area of responsibility. BMs

once inducted will give adequate impetus

to enhancing battlefield transparency. of

special interest are the foliage penetration

radars to enhance our surveillance capa-

bility in forested areas to give our forces

the requisite edge by achieving complete

battlefield transparency.

SP’s: What is the progress on BMS and has the digitised network reached a level for providing seamless fire power?DGArty: the BMs is at prototype develop-

ment stage by the developing agencies.

SP’s: UAVs, UCAVs and aerostats are rec-ognised as force-multipliers in the modern battlefield and have become important part of weapon inventory of many advanced armies of the world. Will the artillery be the custodian of such force-multipliers or will they be inducted in all combat arms. What are your plans regarding their induction and employment?DGArty: there is no doubt that unmanned

systems are the future in all three dimen-

sions of warfare. rPas have various classi-

fications including micro/mini, short-range

and Hale/Male. the artillery will be

custodians of the short-range and Hale/

Male class of rPas while the micro/mini

rPas will be authorised to other arms and

services based on requirement. as far as the

short-range and Hale/Male class of rPas

is concerned, we intend to equip all our

fighting formations with this critical tech-

nology so as to enhance our intelligence,

surveillance and the targeting capability.

SP’s: What is likely to be ratio of guns, rockets and missiles in the artillery?DGArty: Guns will continue as the mainstay

of the artillery, while rockets and missiles

will be held selectively to cater for opera-

tional depths.

SP’s: What are the plans for ‘Make in India’ and indigenisation, are there any gun development programmes being carried under this?DGArty: the artillery is looking at ‘Make in

india’ and indigenisation in a very big way. all

our procurements are based on indigenisation

as the ultimate aim. the Dhanush, advanced

towed artillery Gun system (ataGs) and

upgunned 130mm are indigenous gun devel-

opment and production programmes that we

are whole heartedly supporting. the other

gun systems such as the tracked sP guns,

mounted gun system and towed gun systems

will also have fair degree of indigenous con-

tent. every weapon platform has a large num-

ber of support systems. this is one area where

we are giving impetus to indigenisation so as

to negate the heavy import costs. ammuni-

tion for existing and futuristic gun systems

is completely made in india. in addition, the

Pinaka rocket system and its ammunition is

completely indigenous while efforts are being

made for indigenous production of other

types of rockets, as well. SP

Artillery plays a major role, which includes discerning the enemies’ intentions by employing surveillance resources; engaging them with firepower simultaneously in forward and depth areas as well as on the flanks, and employing appropriate fire power assets with the intention of making them lose their initiative, coherence and force them to fight a disorganised battle while ensuring the integrity of own forces and plans.

Indian Army’s Pinaka multi-barrel rocket launcher on Rajpath, New Delhi

PHOTOGRAPH: PIB

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6 SP’s LAND FORCES 4/2017

LEAD STORY

Mortar Battery, 5 field regiment, 22

Mountain regiment and 6 field regiment

provided covering fire to the infantry units

of 4 Mountain Division to extricate them-

selves and launch counterattacks. similar

support were provided by guns of 17 Para

field regiment and 71 Heavy Mortar Bat-

tery in walong sector. in ladakh sector too

artillery of 13 field regiment and 38 field

Battery played significant role to hold the

enemy and defend chushul heights.

1965 War with PakistanMajor restructuring of artillery took place

after 1962. Before the 1965 war artillery was

called upon to counter Pakistani evil designs

in the rann of Kutch in which 11 field regi-

ment, 17 Para field regiment and air obser-

vation Post made the regiment proud. the

strategic Haji Pir Pass in Kashmir was cap-

tured after heavy fighting with the support of

164 field regiment, battery ex 7 field regi-

ment, a medium and a mountain battery.

1971 War with Pakistanthe 1971 indo-Pakistan war was more chal-

lenging as the war was being fought on two

fronts. During these operations 49 Para field

Battery took part in para drop with 2 Para

Battalion to capture Pongli bridge on loha-

ganj river near tangail which expedited sur-

render by Pakistani army in east Pakistan. 2

Para was first to enter Dacca around 11.30

aM on 16 December16, 1971, followed by

851 light Battery. soon 563 Mountain Bat-

tery also entered Dacca. with this a new

nation was born. in the western sector artil-

lery played major role in capture of impor-

tant Pakistani piquets in ladakh, Kashmir,

rajauri, Jammu, Punjab and rajasthan.

Post 1971 –Kargil Conflictthe regiment of artillery has been per-

forming effectively in siachen – the high-

est battlefield in the world. the guns for

the sector were initially dismantled and

air dropped in 1983-84. Medium and field

guns are providing close support to infan-

try in siachen while artillery observation

post officers are manning the piquet along

with infantry.

in the Kargil operations during 1999,

regiment of artillery unleashed a bliz-

zard of fire power which overwhelmed the

Pakistan forces by systematically destroy-

ing the enemy’s defenses and, ultimately, it

broke his will to fight. it was not the first

time that the Gunners had met a challenge

head-on. the brave gunners contributed

immensely in hoisting the tricolor hoisted

on tiger Hill and multiple peaks of the high

Himalayas in Kargil district, will be always

remembered for ever.

in its peace time duties the regiment is

undertaking infantry tasks in Jammu and

Kashmir and in the North eastern states of

assam, Manipur and Nagaland.

Streamlining of Regiment of Artilleryin 1964 coastal artillery was handed over

to indian Navy. air observation Post was

separated on 1986 and became a separate

corps named army aviation corps. simi-

larly air Defence branch bifurcated from

artillery in 1994 and formed new arm of

indian army named army air Defence. this

has resulted in the regiment of artillery

to become a keen, mean and lean fighting

machine which delivers fire power wherever

and whenever required.

Accoladesthe regiment of artillery has the honour

of having its officers nominated/selected as

Governors/lt Governors and chiefs of the

army staff (coas).

Governors/Lt Governors llate General o.P. Malhotra, PVsM -

Punjab (1990-1991)

llate lt General J.f.r. Jacob, PVsM, VsM

- Goa (1998 to 1999) and Punjab (1999

to 2003)

llt General K.M. seth, PVsM, aVsM - tri-

pura (2002-2003),chattisgarh (2003-

2007) and Madhya Pradesh (2004)

lGeneral s.f. rodrigues, PVsM, VsM -

Punjab (2004-2009)

lcaptain shekhar Dutt, sM, ias - chat-

tisgarh

llt General M.M. lakhera, PVsM, aVsM,

VsM - Governor of Mizoram & lt Gov-

ernor of Puducherry and andaman &

Nicobar islands.

COASlGeneral P.P. Kumaramangalam Dso,

MBe - June 8, 1966 - June 7, 1969

lGeneral o.P. Malhotra, PVsM - June 1,

1978 - May 31, 1981

lGeneral s.f. rodrigues, PVsM, VsM -

July 1, 1990 - June 30, 1993

lGeneral s. Padmanabhan, PVsM,

aVsM, VsM - october 1, 2000 - Decem-

ber 31, 2002

lGeneral Deepak Kapoor, PVsM, aVsM,

sM, VsM - october 1, 2007 - March 31,

2010

Gallantry Awards-All rankslashok chakra - 01

lMahavir chakra - 07

lKirti chakra - 08

lVir chakra - 92

lyudh sewa Medal - 03

lshaurya chakra - 56

lsena Medal (Gallantry) - 441

Honour Titlesthe regiment has been awarded forty Hon-

our titles. SP

PHOTOGRAPHS: Indian Army, Wikipedia

PHOTOGRAPH: Indian Army

The East India Company raised the

first regular company of Artillery

in 1748, with a small percentage of

Indian Gunners called Gun Lash-

kars, Tindals and Serangs. Bombay

Artillery was raised on September

28, 1827 and was later on renamed

5 Bombay Mountain Battery. Thus

September 28 is celebrated as the

‘Gunners Day’.

During the J&K operations of 1947-

48, in the first week of November

1947 when four 3.7 inch howitzer

reached the area. The artillery units

helped in driving out the infiltrators,

successfully defended Srinagar

airfield and subsequent route of

Pakistani tribesmen in Jammu region

and Kashmir Valley.

January 15, 1935, ‘A’ Field Brigade,

comprising four batteries of horse-

drawn guns, was raised at Bangalore.

‘A’ Field Brigade was the first Artillery

unit to be officered by Indians.

2 Lt (later Lt General) P.S. Gyani

was the first Indian officer to be

commissioned into an Artillery unit.

Against China in 1962.

The Artillery broke the attack of the

Chinese who came through Bum La

Pass by engaging the Chinese by

7 (Bengal) Mountain Battery. They

also provided the covering fire to

extricate 4 Mountain Division. In the

Ladakh sector 13 Field Regiment and

38 Field Battery played a significant

role to defend Chushul heights.

In 1937 the mountain batteries were

transferred to the Indian Artillery,

which later became 1st Indian Field

Regiment. The generic title the Regi-

ment of Indian Artillery was conferred

upon the new Arm.

Major restructuring of Artillery took

place after 1962. Before the 1965

war artillery was called upon to

counter Pakistani evil designs in

the Rann of Kutch in which 11 Field

Regiment, 17 Para Field Regiment

and Air Observation Post made the

Regiment proud.

World War II saw Indian Gunners

in action in East and North Africa,

Middle East and displayed valour

and dedication. By the end of World

War II, Indian gunners had won one

Victoria Cross, One George Medal,

15 Military Crosses, two IOMs, 22

IDSMs, 18 Military Medals, five OBEs,

among others.

1971 War with Pakistan.

In the Western sector artillery played

major role in capture of important

Pakistani piquets in Ladakh,

Kashmir, Rajauri, Jammu, Punjab and

Rajasthan.

During 1947 Indian Artillery was

allotted eighteen and half of all types

of artillery regiments while Pakistan

was allotted the remaining nine and

half units.

In the Kargil operations during 1999,

Regiment of Artillery unleashed

a blizzard of fire power which

overwhelmed the Pakistan Forces

by systematically destroying the

enemy’s defenses. The brave

gunners contributed immensely in

hoisting the Tricolor hoisted on Tiger

Hill and multiple peaks of the high

Himalayas in Kargil district, will be

always remembered for ever.

INDIAN ARTILLERY: A BRIEF HISTORY

130mm gun firing, with Cheetah helicopter delivering messages at gun point

Guns and Glory: ... continued from page 2

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8 SP’s LAND FORCES 4/2017

MODERNISATION

LT GENERAL V.K. KAPOOR (RETD)

THe Past 15 years or so have

severely degraded the war fighting

capabilities of the indian army.

the army’s ‘critical shortages’ and

obsolescence of its current equip-

ment include 155 mm artillery howitzers,

light utility helicopters, attack helicopters,

air defence assets, various categories of

ammunition, anti-tank and aD missile sys-

tems, infantry’s basic weapons such as,

close quarter battle (cQB) carbines, assault

rifles, machine guns, sniper rifles, and anti

material rifles. to this deplorable state you

may add another negative and that is that

we do not have any night fighting capability

as there are no night sights on any infantry

weapon held presently.

the artillery howitzers, currently held

i.e. 155 mm, 39 calibre, fH 77B (Bofors), are

more than 30 years old because after acquir-

ing these howitzers india has not acquired

any new artillery gun/howitzer. the recent

deal of acquiring 145, M777, Ultra light

Howitzers, manufactured by Bae systems,

from the Us, for the mountainous regions

will take another three to four years to fully

fructify. as a result the artillery as a com-

bat support arm, vital in war, is currently

equipped with outdated and obsolescent

weapons which do not have the capabilities

for fighting on future battlefields. this article

pertains to the modernisation of artillery.

Modernisation Planas part of its artillery Modernisation Plan,

the army is looking at inducting several types

of howitzers through in house manufacture

by DrDo/ordnance factory Board, inter-

governmental pacts and global tenders. the

last major acquisition of towed gun-how-

itzers was that of 400 pieces of 39-calibre

155mm fH-77B howitzers with a range of

30 km from Bofors of sweden in 1987. this

gun proved its mettle in the Kargil conflict.

even after about 30 years of neglect the artil-

lery modernisation continues to stagnate

because on the ground there is no change.

attempts are being made to resurrect

and fulfil its long-postponed 1999 field

artillery rationalisation Plan (farP), under

which the army aims to import, locally

develop, and licence-produce around 3,000,

155mm howitzers of various categories to

equip 220-odd artillery regiments for an esti-

mated `56,000 to `63,000 crore (UsD8-9

billion). these include 1,580 towed gun

systems (tGs), 814 mounted gun systems

(MGs), 100 self-propelled howitzers (sPHs)

– all of which are 155 mm/52 calibre – and

145 Bae systems M777 155 mm/39 calibre

lightweight howitzers for the mountains.

locally upgraded and retrofitted guns will

make up additional numbers.

Trials of 155mm Towed Howitzers of Nexter and Elbit Systemstrials involving two competing 155 mm/52

calibre towed guns for the MoD’s 2011/12

tender for 1,580 such platforms concluded

in November 2015. the two guns are cur-

rently undergoing General staff evalua-

tion by the army before one is shortlisted

and price negotiations begin. trials for

two systems namely the Nexter’s 155 mm

trajan 155 mm/52 calibre howitzer, and

israels atHos 2052 gun built by elbit were

required to undergo the supplementary tri-

als from mid-2015 after completing desert

and high-altitude firings in 2013-14. the

army plans to acquire 400 guns under the

DPP’s ‘Buy and Make’ category and licence-

build the remaining 1,180 howitzers. Nex-

ter is a french government company for-

merly called Giat has a tie-up with larson

& tubro (l& t) and elbit from israel has tied

up with the Kalyani Group/Bharat forge in

Pune. we have now learnt that fresh trials

have been ordered for which two howitzers

each from Nexter and elbit systems have

been positioned.

Self Propelled Howitzers (SPH)K9 Vajra-T: in December 2015 the Minis-

try of Defence (MoD) began price negotia-

tions with larsen & toubro (l&t) for 100

modified south Korean sPHs, worth around

`5,600 crore ($800 million). the K9 Vajra-

t, an l&t version of samsung techwin’s

K9 thunder 155mm/52 calibre gun cus-

tomised for india’s 2012 sPH tender, was

shortlisted for acquisition in late september

2015 following trials the previous year. in

these the K9 bested russia’s Msta-s self-

propelled gun, which had been modified to

155mm/52 calibre standard and mounted

on a t-72 tank chassis.

according to industry sources the K9,

which is being procured under the DPP

2012 ‘Buy Global’ category, will be built

at l&t’s talegaon facility near Pune in

western india. this classification permits

domestic companies to enter into tie-ups

with oeMs to offer cooperatively developed

equipment and platforms to the indian mili-

tary. the K9 is expected to contain some 13

major indigenous subsystems, including

its fire control, ammunition handling, and

nuclear, biological, and chemical (NBc)

system and muzzle velocity radar, to help it

bypass the 30 per cent offset obligation. it

is learn that the contract has already been

signed, and includes a follow-on option for

an additional 50 K9 guns.

Catapult — The Interim Solutionin the interim the army is expected to induct

40 indigenously developed catapult Mk ii

sPHs, which mount a 130mm gun on the

chassis of the locally designed arjun MBt.

these will replace an equal number of cata-

pult Mk is, designed in the early 1980s by

mating the M-46 weapons onto the length-

ened chassis of an ofB-built Vijayanta

(Vickers Mk 1) MBt.

145 Ultra Light Howitzers (M777)in May 2015 the MoD approved the import

of 145 M777s along with selex laser iner-

tial Pointing systems (liNaPs) via the Us

foreign Military sales (fMs) programme.

on November 16, 2016, the cabinet com-

mittee on security chaired by Prime Minis-

ter Narendra Modi cleared the acquisition

of the guns from the Us in a Government

to Government deal worth $737 million

(almost `5,000 crore). of the 145 M-777

howitzers, 25 guns will be given in com-

pleted condition while 120 will be assem-

bled, integrated and tested in india with

Bae systems selecting Mahendra as its

business partner. the first two howitzers

have already arrived in india and are being

used to formulate range tables with indig-

enous ammunition.

Bae systems is also believed to have sub-

mitted to the MoD its list of offset agreements

with local companies, valued at 30 per cent

of the overall contract value and estimated

at around `1,400crore, ($210 million). the

deal involves a significant “Make in india”

component. Mahindra is expected to bag

a major share of the contract. the M777

purchase is meant to equip the army’s 17

Mountain strike corps, which is presently

being raised for deployment along the line

of actual control (lac) with china.

the M777 Howitzer is a towed 155mm

artillery piece, manufactured by the Us-

based Bae systems. it is one of the most

capable guns in its class, currently being

used by the Us, australia and canada.

according to reports, United arab emirates

is also in the process of acquiring the gun.

the M777 matches the firepower of

current generation 155mm towed systems

at less than half the weight. the Howitzer is

equipped with a 39-calibre barrel. the muz-

zle velocity (at charge 8 super) is 827 m/s.

the maximum firing range is 24.7 km with

unassisted rounds and 30 km with rocket-

assisted rounds.

Excalibur Munitions: the M777a2 can

fire the raytheon/Bofors XM982 excalibur

GPs/inertial Navigation-guided extended-

range 155mm projectiles using the Modular

artillery charge systems (Macs). excalibur

has a maximum range of 40 to 57 km and

accuracy of 10 m. the M777 is able to deliver

up to five rounds a minute under intense firing

conditions and is able to provide a sustained

rate of fire of two rounds a minute.

Indigenous Manufacture 155 mm Howitzer (Dhanush)ordnance factories Board (ofB) have been

tasked to produce a 45-calibre 155 mm

howitzer based on the transfer of tech-

nology (tot) obtained from Bofors in the

1980s. the Dac approved a proposal from

the ofB to manufacture 144 pieces of 155

mm/45-calibre howitzers with the option

to acquire another 400 provided the proto-

types successfully meet the army’s GsQr in

user trials. Meanwhile, the DrDo has also

embarked on its own venture to design and

develop a 155 mm howitzer in partnership

with a private sector company.

Media reports in august 2017, state

that Dhanush 155mm/45-calibre artillery

gun has failed on three occasions in a row in

the last three months when the shell of the

gun hit the muzzle brake in one of the six

prototype guns currently undergoing user

trials. in view of the problems being faced

the induction programme may get delayed.

as per this programme, out of 114 Howit-

zers in the initial order, the first batch of 18

guns were slotted to be inducted this year,

another 36 guns in 2018 and 60 guns in

2019, completing the initial order.

The Acquisition of 814 truck-mounted guns this has been approved by the Defence acqui-

sition council in November 2014 will be

undertaken under the ‘buy and make in india’

category with transfer of technology (tot).

while the first 100 guns will be imported, the

remaining 714 will be produced in india. tata

Power seD with its 155mm truck mounted

gun system and l&t-ashok leyland-Nexter

with their 155mm gun are among the pri-

vate companies in india that are likely to sub-

mit proposals for the project, as reported by

the media. the total project cost is estimated

to be `15,750 crore. SP

Attempts are now being made to resurrect and fulfil its long-postponed 1999 Field Artillery Rationalisation Plan (FARP), under which the army aims to import, locally develop, and licence-produce around 3,000, 155mm howitzers of various categories to equip 220-odd artillery regiments for an estimated `56,000 crore to `63,000 crore ($8-9 billion)

Modernisation of Artillery in the Indian Army

PHOTOGRAPH: US Army

BAE Systems M777 ultra-lightweight howitzer in action

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9 4/2017 SP’s LAND FORCES

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10 SP’s LAND FORCES 4/2017

SMALL ARMS

LT GENERAL V.K. KAPOOR (RETD)

THe Past DecaDe aND a half or so

has severely degraded the war fight-

ing capabilities of the indian army

due to complete neglect and apathy

on part of the of the leadership,

political, bureaucratic and military, to speed

up the process of modernisation and procure-

ment of vital equipment and munitions. the

army’s ‘critical shortages’ and obsolescence

of its current equipment include155mm

artillery howitzers, light utility helicopters,

attack helicopters, air defence assets, various

categories of ammunition, anti-tank and aD

missile systems, close quarter battle (cQB)

carbines, assault rifles, machine guns, sniper

rifles and anti-material rifles, the list is end-

less. to make matters worse the authorities

that be, instead of hastening the process of

acquisition and manufacture is busy scrap-

ping/cancelling the ongoing procurements.

the latest one which has been axed is the

procurement plan for over 44,000 light

machine guns (lMGs) for the soldiers in the

infantry. it has been scrapped by the defence

ministry on the ground that it had become

a “single-vendor situation” with only the

israeli weapon industries (iwi) left in the

fray after protracted field trials from Decem-

ber 2015 to february 2017.

the sorry state of affairs as far as pro-

curements of “small arms” meaning assault

rifles, carbines, light machine guns, and

other infantry weapons for the army, will be

clarified as we go along in this article. let us

first deal with the overall issue of moderni-

sation of the infantry.

F-INSASthe future infantry soldier as a system

(f-iNsas) project was mooted in 2005 and

it aimed at deploying a fully networked,

all-weather, and all-terrain infantry, with

enhanced firepower and the mobility to oper-

ate in the digitalized battlefield. this involved

a mix of imported and locally developed sys-

tems, to equip all battalions of infantry and

rashtriya rifles with a modular, multi-cali-

bre suite of weapons and body armour.

the entire capability desired includes

target acquisition means, communica-

tions, and portable surveillance equipment

– including third-generation night-vision

devices, as well as computers capable of

transmitting and uploading voice, data, and

video clips on wrist displays for soldiers and

clipboards for commanders. additionally,

integrated ballistic helmets with head-up

displays (HUDs), miniature radios, global

positioning systems, and portable power

packs complete the f-iNsas makeover. the

concern is that not even a single part of the

project has made any progress.

Assault Riflesarmy is on the lookout for assault rifles

(ar) to replace the iNsas 5.56 mm rifles

with technologically superior weapons. the

MoD issued the tender for 66,000, 5.56mm

multi-calibre assault rifles (with inter-

changeable barrels of 5.56mmand 7.62

mm calibers) out of a total requirement of

about 2,00,000 assault rifles in November

2011 to 43 overseas vendors. five ven-

dors responded positively. However all five

vendors comprising italian manufacturer

Beretta’s arX160, the czech republic-

based cZ’s 805 BreN, israel weapon indus-

tries’ (iwi’s) ace, and Us-based colt’s com-

bat rifle were rejected by the army following

field trials in the western rajasthan desert

and in high-altitude regions.

the above request for proposal ( rfP) for

the assault rifles was scrapped in May 2015

because of the army’s overambitious exper-

iment to induct rifles with interchangeable

barrels, with a 5.56x45mm primary barrel

for conventional warfare and a 7.62x39mm

secondary one for counter-terrorism.

the military wisdom till recently was

that the 5.56mm rifle was better for con-

ventional war because it generally injured

an enemy soldier, tying down at least two of

his colleagues to carry him in the battlefield.

conversely, the 7.62mm rifle was better for

counter-insurgency since terrorists had

to be killed at the first instance, eliminat-

ing the risk of “suicide bombing”. soldiers

largely use the 7.62mm aK-47 rifles for

counter-insurgency operations in Kashmir

and the northeast, even though the infantry

is saddled with the indigenous glitch-prone

5.56mm iNsas (indian small arms system)

rifles. the fully-automatic DrDo designed

excalibur, which fires 5.56x45mm ammu-

nition, is an improved version of iNsas rifle

that entered service in 1994-1995. But the

army now wants 7.62mm rifles for greater

lethality. thus the army has re-launched

its quest for a modern imported assault

rifle, after recently rejecting the indigenous

excalibur, in order to plug a vital opera-

tional gap. the army has once again sent

out its global request for information (rfi)

for 7.62x51mm assault rifle.

the issue that was discussed in april 2016

during the army commanders’ conference

was whether the force required a 7.62mm

rifle that could kill the enemy or a 5.56mm

rifle that could incapacitate the enemy sol-

diers and the decision was in favour of the

former caliber. the army commanders unan-

imously opted to import the more powerful

7.62x51mm rifle for its infantry battalions

and its 100 odd counter-insurgency units

(both rashtriya rifles and assam rifles).

the indigenous excalibur is an

upgraded version of the DrDo-designed

indian small arms system (iNsas)

5.56x45 mm assault rifle. the iNsas was

rejected by the army in 2010 for being

“operationally inadequate”. the gas-oper-

ated, fully automatic rifle has a foldable

butt, a Picatinny rail for sights, sensors,

and bipods, and its polycarbonate maga-

zine is superior to that of the iNsas rifle,

known to frequently crack in extreme hot

and cold climates. the excalibur’s barrel

is 4 mm shorter than the iNsas model

and its hand guard is smaller. the DrDo

is also designing a second version of the

excalibur, the ar-2 that fires 7.62x39

mm rounds used by aK-47. the ar-2 will

be offered as an alternative to the aK 47,

russian origin, assault rifle. till the new

assault rifle becomes a standard weapon it

was rumoured that the excalibur may be

used in the interim to replenish stocks.

Carbinesfor over five years the indian army has

operated without a cQB carbine, a basic

infantry weapon, essential to a force which

claims to be among the best in the world,

ever ready to take on any challenge.

india’s Ministry of Defence (MoD)

cancelled the December 2010 tender for

44,618, 5.56mm close quarter battle (cQB)

carbines and 33.6 million rounds of ammu-

nition on september 29, 2016. official

sources said the Ministry of Defence (MoD)

now aims to ‘fast track’ the long-delayed

cQB procurement for the indian army (ia)

via an ‘empowered committee’, within the

next 12-14 months. designators that will be

acquired separately.

the original procurement, for which

israel weapon industries (iwi) ace carbine

was shortlisted along with the rival italian

Beretta’s arX-160 model following the

2011-14 trials, was terminated following

differences over the weapon systems sights

and irregularities in the evaluation process.

the MoD’s Directorate General of Quality

assurance (DGQa) had certain objections

which scuttled the procurement process.

it is reported that the proposed cQB car-

bines rfP has been issued on the same lines

as the earlier one in which the carbine was

required to weigh less than 3kg, fire 600

rounds per minute to a distance of 250-300m

and be capable of operating in extreme cold

and hot temperatures. it would also need to

be fitted with a Picatinny rail for the sights,

which would be procured separately, and

multi-purpose detachable bayonets. the

weapons will be acquired under the Defence

Procurement Procedure (DPP)-2016 ‘Buy

and Make’ category. the selected cQB vendor

would be required to transfer technology, in all

likelihood, to india’s state-owned ordnance

factory Board (ofB) to licence build some

300,000-400,000 carbines. these would

equip the ia’s 400-odd infantry battalions

and its specialised rahstriya rifles or counter

insurgency units and eventually india’s para-

militaries and provincial police forces.

Light Machine Gunson august 9, 2017, india’s Ministry of

Defence (MoD) has terminated its three-

year old global tender to procure 9,462

light machine guns (lMGs) of caliber 7.62

x 51mm for the indian army (ia). it was

reported that the tender was cancelled after

israel weapon industries (iwi) emerged as

the ‘sole vendor’ with its Negev NG7 model

of the lMG. there were two contenders in

the field namely the NG7 of iwi and the

lMG fielded by Bulgaria’s arsenal in user

trials between 2015 and early-2017. NG7

became the frontrunner.

the proposed lMG’s were aimed at

replacing the Defence research and

Development organisation (DrDo)-

designed 5.56x45mm lMG that was

inducted into ia service in the 1990’s, but

found to be inefficient.

Conclusionindia’s Defence Procurement Procedure

has been revised on various occasions. the

Defence Procurement Procedure 2016 (DPP

2016) was unveiled by the former Union

Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar on the

sidelines of the Defexpo-2016 which was held

in Goa. the DPP 2016 replaced the Defence

Procurement Procedure 2013 (DPP 2013)

and has come into force on 1 april 2016.

in a major departure from the earlier

DPPs, DPP-2016 has allowed the pro-

curement process to continue in certain

situations where only one bid is received

in response to an rfP. the continuation

of the process is, however, subject to the

approval of the Dac, which must certify

that there is no scope for change of the

rfP conditions.

the cancellation of the global tender to

procure lMGs is third such project, after the

cases for new assault rifles and close-quarter

battle carbines which were cancelled simi-

larly. the elaborate process which mandates

firing and maintenance trials in all types of

terrain existing in our country involving

extensive movements and arrangements

across various theatres of operations which

involves a large amount of manpower, and a

long period of time and therefore scrapping

tenders after the trials only wastes precious

time, energy and money of the vendor and

the government. we wonder why the single

vendor issue could not be tackled under the

dispensation of the above clause of the DPP-

2016. if the clause is ambiguous then it must

be amended based on our experiences so far.

infantry is indeed the most vital combat

arm of indian army whose roles range from

countering terrorism and insurgencies in

peace and in war, conducting defensive and

offensive operations in the mountains, plains,

and deserts and when required be an impor-

tant part of an out of area contingency force.

and last but not the least, aid civil authori-

ties, including tackling natural and manmade

disasters for which the civil authorities are

certainly not shy in seeking this assistance if

only to hide their own weaknesses and incom-

petence. Hence depriving this indispensable

arm of the army from its basic weapons which

it needs to fulfill its missions is not only shock-

ing but may prove disastrous for the nation in

the future. Here we have not added the defi-

ciencies of other equipment of the infantry

like radio sets at platoon and company levels,

soldiers web equipment, body armour etc. for

this sorry state of affairs we have to accept that

apart from political and bureaucratic leader-

ship, the uniformed community is equally to

blame for not being decisive and for not pur-

suing the infantry equipment related projects

with adequate energy and zeal. SP

Infantry is indeed the most vital combat arm of Indian army whose roles range from countering terrorism and insurgencies in peace and in war, conducting defensive and offensive operations in the mountains, plains, and deserts and when required be an important part of an out of area contingency force

Infantry Deprived of Basic Weaponry

Official sources said the MoD now aims to ‘fast track’ the long-delayed CQB procurement for the Indian Army via an ‘empowered committee’

>>

11 4/2017 SP’s LAND FORCES

NEW LEADERSHIP

LT GENERAL V.K. KAPOOR (RETD)

NirMala sitHaraMaN Has

BeeN made the Defence Minister

of india. the fact that the Prime

Minister of india has entrusted

her with this important portfolio

also speaks volumes for her administrative

talent and past efficiency when she was

holding the commerce portfolio as a Min-

ister of state. sitharaman became the first

woman Defence Minister of the country

since indira Gandhi held the charge.

Defence Minister Nirmala sitharaman

has already stated that she intends to hold

daily meetings with all three service chiefs

and the defence secretary to ensure quick

decision making in her ministry. sithara-

man has laid special emphasis on the need

to step up the pace of military procurement

which despite some dynamism showed by

the erstwhile Defence Minister Manohar

Parrikar in the past, the state of equip-

ment and modernisation is in a deplorable

across the board in all three services. in the

indian army from basic weapons like car-

bines and assault rifles, to artillery howit-

zers and helicopters, surveillance and com-

munication equipment, night fighting aids

etc all need replacement/procurement.

Moreover, till very recently even certain

categories of ammunition were in such

short supply thus there was no ammuni-

tion available even for training. the Minis-

ter has also declared that she will also hold

meetings of the Defence acquisition coun-

cil once every two weeks.

an official statement said on Monday,

september 11, 2017, that sitharaman,

who took charge on september 7, 2017,

has held a number of meetings with senior

officials to familiarise herself with the

activities and functioning of the defence

ministry, and has issued “clear directions”

on “critical issues”. as she took over last

week she had said she would be a round-

the-clock Defence Minister.

while we welcome the dynamic and no

nonsense approach of the new defence min-

ister, and her noble intentions, however at

the strategic level, at which she is required

to function, daily meetings may not be

necessary. in the beginning, say for a few

weeks, when she familiarises herself with

the organisational, functional and admin-

istrative details and the back log of cases

relating to procurement and modernisation

of the three services and other important

administrative cases which may be pending,

daily meetings may prove useful but later

on it will only lead to micro management of

the Ministry and the three services which

is not desirable. Moreover, the three chiefs

and the Defence secretary have their own

functional requirements within their head-

quarters to attend to whereby their daily

schedules are tightly packed and they can

ill afford to spend too much time for such

conferences/meetings if they carry on for

long hours. therefore she will perhaps have

to lay down an upper time limit for such

meetings. Moreover the chiefs as well as the

Defence Minister are required to visit many

operational sectors and operational forma-

tions and other departments and establish-

ments within their respective domains due

to which they cannot be tied down to a daily

rigid schedule.

the Ministry of Defence is a mam-

moth ministry with a very large number

of defence public sector industrial units

whose efficiency and output is by and large

unsatisfactory. in the past our defence min-

isters who have been guided by the civilian

bureaucracy have not been able to ensure,

even after 70 years of independence, to

give the nation a defence industrial com-

plex capable of making us self sufficient

for our weapons and equipment. all that

our defence industry has achieved till date

is that that they have imported equipment

and assembled it in india and called this

transfer of technology. a deplorable state of

affairs to say the least.

our ordnance factories are legendary

for their lethargic and poor work culture

and are responsible for poor state of ammu-

nition reserves in the country. the Direc-

tor General Quality assurance (DGQa) is

another organisation which is known more

for its wrong practices than its utility. simi-

larly the departments such as the control-

lers of Defence accounts (cDas) are again

establishments which have expanded mani-

fold but have a poor record of competence

notwithstanding some islands of efficiency.

so perhaps these are areas where the Min-

ister should pay more attention to because

they are ones who are required to provide

the logistics (equipment and munitions)

and are responsible for the good morale of

the soldiery.

the next point that should concern the

Minister is the Ministry itself where the

understanding of National security of the

bureaucrats in the ministry is only from

reading of the ministry files! let me quote

admiral arun Prakash, a former Naval

chief ’s article in a national daily of septem-

ber 13, 2017. He states “One has to start by

facing the unpalatable truth that our current

national security dilemmas are almost entirely

of our own making – a consequence of political

indifference and bureaucratic lethargy resulting

in egregious neglect of our national security.

Procrastination on defence reforms and delays

in border roads constructions, dithering on

purchase of arms and ammunition, and leaving

the MoD headless for months have all been per-

ceived as signs of weakness and a lack of resolve

by our adversaries”.

as regards the procurement issues it

must be brought out that our uniformed

community and the senior hierarchy of the

services, have to accept their share of blame

for the delays and the inferior state of our

current equipment. cases in point, in the

army, are the cases involving the procure-

ment of carbines and assault rifles and the

mess created in this regard. so while politi-

cal indifference and bureaucratic lethargy

may be responsible in the larger context, the

senior hierarchy of the services must accept

their share of blame in many cases.

an irony pointed out by admiral arun

Prakash is the fact that everything is con-

trolled by a cadre of bureaucrats who are

quite ignorant about matters military. He

points out that even Military operations

are dependent on financial, material, per-

sonnel and infrastructure support — all

of which require approvals of the MoD

bureaucracy. the fate of our military (and

survival of our nation) depend on a MoD

which is run exclusively by civilian officers

of the ias and indian Defence accounts

service (iDas). this does not happen in

any other country in the world and it is an

irony that while we have one of the largest

armed forces in the world, an uninformed

bureaucracy handles the administration.

the admiral recommends restructur-

ing of the defence industrial complex by

reputed professionals from the business

and industry and not scientists or govern-

ment bureaucracy who would only end up

protecting their turfs by adopting a status

quo approach.

it is generally accepted by all military and

strategic analysts that the time has come for

the ministry to be manned by a cadre of offi-

cers who are skilled in the management of

national security issues and in building and

establishing military capabilities. this cadre

can be drawn from the services as well as the

ias officers who are especially trained in the

management of such issues.

so while the enthusiasm of the Defence

Minister to interact with the service chiefs

is most welcome and is praiseworthy, how-

ever we recommend that she should pay

more attention to the Department of Defence

Production, the ordnance factory Board,

DGQa, iDas, DrDo and the reforms that are

necessary in these departments and in the

Ministry bureaucracy who at present are not

entirely competent to handle issues involving

national security and matters military. SP

The Ministry of Defence is a mammoth ministry with a very large number of defence public sector industrial units whose efficiency and output is by and large unsatisfactory

Dynamic Approach of the New Defence Minister

The fate of our military (and survival of our nation) depend on a MoD which is run exclusively by civilian officers of the IAS and Indian Defence Accounts Service (IDAS)

PHOTOGRAPH: Indian Army

Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman with General Bipin Rawat, COAS

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12 SP’s LAND FORCES 4/2017

SHOW REPORT / DSEI 2017

R. CHANDRAKANTH

Total worlD Military eXPeN-

DitUre rose to $1686 billion in

2016, an increase of 0.4 per cent

in real terms from 2015, accord-

ing to new figures from the stock-

holm international Peace research insti-

tute (siPri). Military spending in North

america saw its first annual increase since

2010, while spending in western europe

grew for the second consecutive year.

the United states remains the country

with the highest annual military expen-

diture in the world. Us military spending

grew by 1.7 per cent between 2015 and

2016 to $611 billion. Military expenditure

by china, which was the second largest

spender in 2016, increased by 5.4 per cent

to $215 billion, a much lower rate of growth

than in previous years. russia increased its

spending by 5.9 per cent in 2016 to $69.2

billion, making it the third largest spender.

saudi arabia was the third largest spender

in 2015 but dropped to fourth position in

2016. spending by saudi arabia fell by 30

per cent in 2016 to $63.7 billion, despite

its continued involvement in regional wars.

india’s military expenditure grew by 8.5 per

cent in 2016 to $55.9 billion, making it the

fifth largest spender.

this is indicative of the trend in

increased arms acquisitions. this obvious

trend was reflected at the world’s largest

arms fair in london – Dsei which stands for

Defence and security equipment interna-

tional (Dsei) which concluded on septem-

ber 15. the event hosted over 1,600 exhibi-

tors from 54 countries, growing every year,

though there were protests outside, oppos-

ing the proliferation of arms.

the host country, Britain is all set to

expand its export footprint and this was out-

lined by the Defence secretary, sir Michael

fallon who suggested that Britain would

look for more of the pie of the international

defence market, demand driven by increas-

ing war and terror.

“as we look, exiting the european

Union, to go increasingly global, we see our

equipment as a platform for even stron-

ger partnership,” Mr fallon told delegates,

including international military command-

ers. “as we look to life post Brexit and spread

our wings further across the world, it’s high

time we do more to compete for a share of

this international export market.”

Mr fallon said the UK secured defence

orders totalling £5.9bn in 2016 and is

already the world’s second-largest weap-

ons exporter. “But now it’s time to build

exportability into our thinking from the off,

aligning it with the requirements of inter-

national clients,” he added.

New weapons include Dreadnought sub-

marines, apache attack helicopters, ajax

armoured vehicles, f35s and frigates. the

UK is also working to develop artificial intel-

ligence for use in warfare, including a “ship’s

brain”, as well as advanced robots. Mr fal-

lon announced Britain is buying 56 bomb

disposal robots from Harris corporation, as

well as commissioning a £10m “active pro-

tection system” for armoured vehicles fre-

quently targeted by missiles and ieDs.

Lockheed Martin’s Modular Turret lockheed Martin UK showcased the 40

mm Modular turret, designed to up-arm

the warrior infantry fighting vehicle

(ifV). lockheed demonstrated the poten-

tial for upgrading and customising the

turret to suit customer needs. the tur-

ret is the result of significant investment

from lockheed Martin and employs com-

mon systems from the ajax reconnais-

sance vehicle in the United Kingdom and

the Jaguar armoured fighting vehicle

from france. the addition of an exter-

nally launched Javelin missile provides

an engagement envelope of 4 km as well

as gives the platform a credible firepower

capability against main battle tanks

MBDA-led Consortium Unveils High Energy Laser Cannona key component of a high energy laser

cannon being produced under a £30 mil-

lion contract for the UK Ministry of Defence

was unveiled at Dsei. Under development

by an MBDa-led consortium which includes

Qinetiq, leonardo-finmeccanica, arke,

Bae systems, Marshall and GKN, the Drag-

onfire system will be a 50kw class directed

energy weapon designed for use on both

land and sea.

laser weapons have key advantages over

traditional systems: the munition is poten-

tially unlimited, and it operates at the speed

of light so the time from when you say “fire”

to the weapon hitting its target is more or

less instantaneous.

Oshkosh’s JLTVwith a sale of the Joint light tactical Vehi-

cle to the British military seemingly in the

bag, platform-builder oshkosh Defense

showcased what the machine might look

like when the British army gets its hands on

it. oshkosh fitted its show vehicle with an

in-service Kongsberg remote weapon sta-

tion, amsafe Bridport anti-rocket-propelled

grenade armor and a Harris radio.

The host country, Britain is all set to expand its export footprint and this was outlined by the Defence Secretary, Sir Michael Fallon who suggested that Britain would look for more of the pie of the international defence market, a demand driven by increasing war and terror

The World’s Largest Arms Fair

PHOTOGRAPHS: DSEI, Lockheed Martin, Oshkosh

(Top) A view of the fair; (middle) Lockheed Martin’s Warrior IFV; (above) Oshkosh JLTV.

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13 4/2017 SP’s LAND FORCES

SHOW REPORT / DSEI 2017

ST Kinetics Bronco for Variety of Missionsingapore’s st Kinetics showcased its new-

est version of its Bronco all-terrain tracked

carrier vehicle designed to support a wide

variety of mission sets through easy recon-

figuration. first fielded in 2001 to the sin-

gapore army in 2001, st Kinetics has pro-

duced several hundred of its first-version

vehicles with more than 20 variants. the

second version of the vehicle was built for

the British army — known in the UK as the

warthog — for operations in afghanistan.

the vehicle fleet was withdrawn from the

country in 2014. Bronco 3 is “the combina-

tion of the best of the lessons that we have

learned in Bronco 1 and 2,” Phillip ou, an

st Kinetics executive, told presspersons.

Leonardo’s Icarusan active protection system electronic

architecture that will allow the British

army to tailor its sensors and countermea-

sures to meet a changing threat was demon-

strated in a £10 million ($13 million) deal

between a leonardo-led team and the gov-

ernment’s Defence science and technology

laboratory. the technology demonstrator

programme, known as icarus, will lay the

groundwork for the potential deployment

of the capability across the army’s vehicle

fleet, according to leonardo.

Cobham Launches ICEcobham launched a new integrated com-

munications environment (ice) product

range which provides major improvements

to existing communications systems on

platforms. the new ice products include a

multi-radio interference cancellation sys-

tem and new high-performance multi-port

V/UHf antenna.

the integration of multiple radios and

other communications systems on a single

platform or in a congested environment

causes radio frequency interference which

can dramatically reduce the effective radio

range. this increasingly operational prob-

lem is being exacerbated by the increase of

on-board communications systems which

can mean they are competing for data and

spectrum allocation.

BAE System unveils NAUTIS 5Bae systems unveiled NaUtis 5, the lat-

est version of its flagship mine counter-

measures (McM) system. NaUtis stands for

Naval autonomy tactical information sys-

tem and is used to counter the ever present

threat of naval mines. it is installed on board

over 65 ships from seven navies across the

world, including the royal Navy’s Hunt and

sandown class mine counter measure ves-

sels (McMVs).

NaUtis 5 is the result of Bae systems’

long term investment in McM capabili-

ties. it incorporate a number of new and

improved features including: improved

command and control for autono-

mous and off-board systems, which can

be easily integrated thanks to a new

open architecture, a new and improved

human-computer interface utilising the

latest graphical technologies and embed-

ded onboard training.

Thales Unmanned Technology Developmentthales announced that it would develop

future autonomous and unmanned tech-

nology across air and sea by investing

in two new UK-based trials and train-

ing centres. thales will invest £7 million

(€8 million). the new £1 million facility

in turnchapel wharf, Plymouth will be

thales’s maritime autonomy trials and

training centre. this waterfront facility

will provide access to trials areas for devel-

opment of cutting edge maritime autono-

mous systems and position thales at the

centre of future maritime autonomy capa-

bility. the facility will act as the key mari-

time integration, test and evaluation cen-

tre for the combined United Kingdom and

french Maritime Mine counter Measures

(MMcM) Programme. SP

PHOTOGRAPHS: ST Engineering, Cobham, MBDA

MBDA’s Dragonfire Laser Turret was unveiled at DSEI 2017

All Terrain Tracked Carrier Bronco by ST Kinetics Cobham’s new GD2049 multi-port antenna installed on a Thales Hawkei vehicle

Tel: +91 11 4120 0400

Fax: +91 11 4120 0405

Email: India.Sales@allisontransmission.com

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14 SP’s LAND FORCES 4/2017

JOINT-EXERCISE

INDia-NePal JoiNt Military eXer-

cise surya Kiran-Xii, pitched at battal-

ion level, was conducted at Nepal army

Battle school (NaBs), saljhandi, Nepal

from september 3 to september 16,

2017. in this exercise, approximately 350

troops from both indian army and Nepal

army shared their experiences gained dur-

ing conduct of various counter insurgency

and counter terrorism operations. togeth-

er, both the armies stand to benefit mutu-

ally from their shared experiences.

the surya Kiran series of exercises are

being conducted annually, alternatively in

Nepal and india. Notably in the series of mili-

tary training exercises undertaken by india

with various countries, surya Kiran series

with Nepal is the largest in terms of troop

participation. the aim of this exercise was to

conduct battalion level joint training between

indian and Nepalese army with emphasis

on counter terrorism in mountainous ter-

rain by facilitating interoperability. aspects of

disaster management and the requirement of

joint and concerted effort towards relief work

were also included in the exercise.

the joint training, mutual interaction

and sharing of experiences during exercise

not only promotes cordial military relations

but also further strengthens cultural and

historical ties between the two nations.

the indian army was represented by

troops of the KUMaoN scoUts while Nara-

yan Dal Battalion participated on behalf of

the Nepal army.

the aim of the exercise was to train troops

in counter insurgency/counter terrorism

operations in both jungle & mountainous ter-

rain and disaster management. the Joint Bat-

talion level exercise being the largest exercise

undertaken by india with any other country

was an ideal platform for the contingent of

both nations to share their experiences and

mutually benefit from the joint training.

as part of the exercise important lec-

tures, demonstrations and drills related to

counter insurgency/counter terrorism

operations and Disaster Management were

conducted by indian army to share their

experiences in handling such situations

with a view to conduct such operations

jointly and refine drills and procedures.

the training culminated with a 72

hours outdoor exercise in which troops of

both contingents carried out a cordon and

search operation in a mock counter insur-

gency village.

Besides training, both the contingents

also participated in number of extracur-

ricular activities including friendly football,

basketball, volleyball matches and a cultural

programme on the final day. the joint train-

ing was an unprecedented success. Besides

promoting understanding and interoper-

ability between the two armies, it helped in

cementing ties between both nations. SP

The aim of this exercise was to conduct battalion level joint training between Indian and Nepalese Army with emphasis on Counter Terrorism in mountainous terrain by facilitating interoperability

India-Nepal Joint Exercise Surya Kiran-XII

Troops familiarising with the bomb disposal robot equipment.

PHOTOGRAPH: Indian Army

EXercise yUDH aBHyas - 2017, a

joint military exercise between indi-

an and Us armies commenced on

september 14, 2017, at Joint Base

lewis Mcchord, washington, Usa

with a brief and impressive opening cer-

emony. the Us contingent was represented

by company of 5th infantry Battalion from

20 infantry regiment of the Us army while

the indian side was represented by soldiers

of Gorkha rifles from the surya command.

Major General willard M Burlesan, Goc

7th infantry Division, Us army welcomed

the indian soldiers. in inaugural remarks,

he highlighted the common shared beliefs

of democracy, freedom, equality and justice

that are precious to both the nations.

During the two-week long exercise

soldiers from both countries honed their

tactical skills in counter-insurgency and

counter-terrorist operations under a joint

brigade headquarter. Both sides jointly

trained, planned and executed a series of

well-developed tactical drills for neutralisa-

tion of likely threats that may be encoun-

tered in UN peacekeeping operations.

experts from both sides held detailed discus-

sions to share their experience and expertise

on varied operational topics.

the initial days of field training com-

prised of platoon level training on basic

manoeuvres, which then progressed

towards company level operations. Helicop-

ter-based mobilisation of teams for quick

response was also practised.

the two armies have gained from each

other’s expertise and experience in conduct

of platoon and company level operations.

in addition, the indian contingent got a

first-hand experience of operating with the

‘stryker’ infantry combat Vehicle and the Us

army gained an insight on the training of an

infantry unit in a mountainous terrain.

the joint exercise, concluded on septem-

ber 27, 2017. exercise yudh abhyas-2017

achieved all joint training objectives and

this shall further reinforce defence coopera-

tion between the two Nations. SP

Indo-US Joint Exercise Yudh Abhyas-2017

PHOTOGRAPHS: US Army

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15 4/2017 SP’s LAND FORCES

SUCCESSFUL FLIGHT TEST OF ANTI TANK GUIDED MISSILE – NAGindia’s indigenously developed 3rd genera-

tion anti tank Guided Missile (atGM), Nag

has been successfully flight tested twice by

DRDO on September 8, 2017 against two

different targets in the ranges of Rajasthan.

The ATGM Nag missile has successfully

hit both the targets under different ranges

and conditions with very high accuracy as

desired by the Armed Forces.

With these two successful flight trials,

and the flight test conducted earlier in June

in the peak of summer, the complete func-

tionality of Nag ATGM along with launcher

system NAMICA has been established and

marked the successful completion of devel-

opment trials of Nag Missile.

HINDUSTAN AERONAUTICS LIMITED (HAL) Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) has

secured a contract worth `61bn ($951.9m)

from the Indian Ministry of Defence to

deliver advanced light helicopters (ALHs)

to the nation’s armed forces. Under the con-

tract, the company is tasked with supply-

ing a total of 41 ALHs over a period of five

years. Of the total ALHs, 40 will be delivered

to the Indian Army, while one will be sent to

the Indian Navy.

MINISTRY OF DEFENCE APPROVES FIRST PHASE OF REFORMS IN THE ARMED FORCES In a first ever exercise after Independence,

the Ministry of Defence in consultation

with the Indian Army has decided to reform

the Indian Army in a planned manner.

These decisions were approved by the for-

mer Defence Minister Arun Jaitley after an

extensive consultation with all stakehold-

ers. The first phase of the reforms involves

redeployment and restructuring of approxi-

mately 57,000 posts of officers/JCOs/ORs

and civilians.

US ARMY TO INVEST IN 1,111 UNITS OF M3E1 SHOULDER-FIRED WEAPON SYSTEM

The US Army is planning to procure 1,111

units of the M3E1 multi-role anti-armour

anti-personnel weapon system (MAAWS).

The M3E1, which is the latest version of M3

MAAWS, is lighter and shorter with a lon-

ger handle and an enhanced grip. Said to be

a part of the Product Manager Crew Served

Weapons portfolio, the M3E1 is compatible

with several ammunition types.

The current system that the army uses

is the AT4, which only allows soldiers to fire

one shot, and then they have to throw the

system away. With the M3E1, soldiers can

use different types of ammunition which

gives them an increased capability on the

battlefield. The M3E1 has extra shoulder

padding and an improved sighting system

that can be adjusted for better comfort with-

out compromising performance. A wiring

harness has also been added in the M3E1

configuration that provides a foregrip con-

troller and programmable fuse setter for an

interchangeable fire control system.

GENERAL DYNAMICS CHOSEN FOR ABRAMS MAIN BATTLE TANK UPGRADES

General Dynamics Land Systems has

secured two contracts, worth a total

$581m, to upgrade Abrams main battle

tanks for the US Army. As part of the con-

tracts, the Abrams tanks will be upgraded

from M1A2 system enhancement pack-

age version 3 (SEPv3) to a SEPv4 variant.

The contracts cover design, development

and integration of multiple engineering

changes into Abrams tanks produced at

the Joint Systems Manufacturing Center in

Lima, Ohio, US.

Under the first contract worth $311m,

the tanks will receive SEPv4 upgrades,

including commander’s primary sight,

an improved gunner’s primary sight and

improvements to sensors. A total of seven

prototype M1A2 SEPv4 tanks will be deliv-

ered to the army by General Dynamics

Land Systems.

PAC-3 MSE TEST SUCCESSFUL FROM REMOTE LAUNCHERA Lockheed Martin PAC-3 Missile Segment

Enhancement (MSE) interceptor success-

fully intercepted a tactical ballistic missile

target on Saturday in the first-ever MSE test

from a remote launcher.

The test demonstrated the expanded

defended footprint available by deploying

the launcher remotely from the Patriot

radar. It also confirmed PAC-3 MSE’s unique

ability to detect, track and intercept an

incoming threat.

The upgraded PAC-3 MSE expands the

lethal battlespace with a dual-pulse solid

rocket motor, providing increased perfor-

mance in altitude and range. PAC-3 MSE

is a high-velocity interceptor that defends

against incoming threats, including tacti-

cal ballistic missiles, cruise missiles and

aircraft. The missile uses Hit-to-Kill technol-

ogy, which defeats threats through kinetic

energy via body-to-body contact.

INDIGENOUS DEVELOPMENT OF TRAWL SYSTEM BY DRDO

R&DE (Engrs), a premier system engineer-

ing laboratory under Armament & Com-

bat Engineering (ACE) cluster of Defence

Research and Development Organisation

(DRDO) has recently undertaken the design

and development of Trawl System for the

minefield area in the battle zone to meet the

operational requirements of Indian Army.

The indigenous developed Trawl System

is employed for breaching of land mines and

creating a vehicle safe lane, through a mine-

field for the advancing columns of mecha-

nized forces in combat zone. The equip-

ment consists of Trawl roller, track width

mine plough and electro- magnetic device

(EMD), which caters to the need of all types

of mines usually encountered by the battle

tank in such a scenario. The Trawl System

developed by DRDO is capable of breaching

a variety of land mines including passive

and active influence mines.

BAE SYSTEMS NEW UNMANNED GROUND VEHICLE TAKES ON DANGEROUS JOBS

Ironclad is small enough to negotiate tight

urban environments, but maintains the

mobility needed to handle extreme cross-

country terrain. It can also be fitted to carry

out reconnaissance, combat and casualty

evacuation roles. It is also protected against

blast and small arms fire to increase mission

survivability.”

Each Ironclad is built with a hardware

interface that allows the different mission

fits to be attached easily. This connection

supplies both power and command from the

main vehicle chassis, which houses the bat-

tery and a two-way remote control unit. The

chassis is designed so that hardware needed

for autonomous capability can be added at

a later stage.

US INSTALLS ADDITIONAL THAAD LAUNCHERS IN SOUTH KOREAThe US has reportedly installed four addi-

tional launchers of the Terminal High-

Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system

in South Korea. The deployment has been

completed a month after South Korean

President Moon Jae-in decided to resume

deliveries of additional THAAD launch-

ers. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe

and South Korea President Moon Jae-

in stated: “Now is the time to further

increase sanctions and pressures against

the North as much as possible rather than

seeking dialogue.”

ROCKWELL COLLINS LAUNCHES NAVHUB NAVIGATION SYSTEM WITH GERMAN ARMED FORCESThe German Ministry of Defense selected

Rockwell Collins’ NavHub navigation sys-

tem to provide Global Navigation Satellite

System (GNSS) availability to a variety of its

military vehicles.

The NavHub system serves as a next-

generation GNSS- and Military-Code

(M-Code)-enabled solution for the German

Armed Forces. Customizable for ground

and maritime platforms, NavHub provides

a variety of vehicle interfaces, meets the

standards required by military vehicle

operators, and allows users to receive

data from multiple secure and open-ser-

vice GNSS constellations to simultane-

ously confirm the navigational solution.

Access to multi-constellation GNSS and

GPS M-Code will provide a significantly

enhanced navigational solution over the

current GPS-only solution.

“NavHub meets the critical mission

need for accurate navigation support for

fast-moving platforms and challenging

environments,” said Claude Alber, vice

president and managing director, Europe,

Middle East and Africa for Rockwell Collins.

“Our military GNSS receivers will provide

significantly enhanced navigational capa-

bilities to military vehicles and will mitigate

terrain, forest and urban degradation as it

will raise the number of satellites used from

28 to well over 100.” SP

Publisher and Editor-in-ChiefJayant Baranwal

Editor Lt General V.K. Kapoor (Retd)

Senior Editorial ContributorLt General P.C. Katoch (Retd)

Senior Technical Group Editor Lt General Naresh Chand (Retd)Air Marshal B.K. Pandey (Retd)

Assistant Group EditorR. Chandrakanth

ContributorsIndia

General V.P. Malik (Retd), Lt General Vijay Oberoi (Retd), Lt General R.S. Nagra (Retd),

Lt General S.R.R. Aiyengar (Retd), Major General Ashok Mehta (Retd), Major General G.K. Nischol (Retd), Brigadier Gurmeet Kanwal (Retd),

Brigadier S. Mishra (Retd), Rohit Sharma

Chairman & Managing DirectorJayant Baranwal

Executive Vice President(Planning & Business Development)

Rohit Goel

AdministrationBharti Sharma

Asst-Admin, HR & InfraPooja Tehlani

Creative DirectorAnoop Kamath

DesignVimlesh Kumar Yadav, Sonu Singh Bisht

Research Assistant: GraphicsSurvi Massey

Sales & MarketingDirector Sales & Marketing: Neetu Dhulia

General Manager Sales: Rajeev Chugh

SP’s WebsiteSr. Web Developer: Shailendra P. AshishWeb Developer: Ugrashen Vishwakarma

Published bimonthly by Jayant Baranwal on behalf of SP Guide Publications Pvt Ltd. All rights reserved. No part of this

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