Amidst the ongoing 30 month long stand-off between the Indian Army and Chinese PLA troops, the army has been gradually ramping up its fire power along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in the Eastern Sector. This has been done to match the Chinese deployment of equipment and weapons on its side of LAC.
It has not only inducted upgraded its legacy guns, it has also deployed the Ultra Light Howitzer M-777, and automated artillery systems like Bofors guns and Air Defence systems.
The indigenously upgraded L-70 Air Defence gun is used to counter low-level air threats and this includes unmanned combat vehicles, unmanned aerial vehicles, and with its automatic tracking capabilities it can also bring down modern aircraft and attack helicopters.
This gun comes with a laser range finder, thermal imaging, and a high resolution electro-optic sensor to include day and night television cameras. It comes equipped with muzzle velocity radar and this helps increase firing accuracy of the gun and also a system management computer which receives all the data from the major components of the gun that helps provide target positions.
This gun which was first procured from Sweden in 1960 has since then been upgraded by defence PSU Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) and has a range of over 3 km.
Ultra-Light Howitzer M-777
Financial Express Online has earlier reported that the ULH M777 which has been bought from the US based BAE Systems and assembled in India is deployed in the eastern sector. This gun is movable and can be taken to any terrain, unlike the other gun systems including Bofors.
Financial Express has reported in 2016 that the country had entered into an agreement with the US for the procurement of 145 M-777 ULHs for $737 million and out of these 75 has been deployed along the LAC by the army.
So far three regiments have been raised and the process for raising the fourth is in progress.
More about M-777
This is 155 mm 39-calibre towed artillery and weighs 4-tonne. This system can easily be transported under-slung from helicopters like the Chinook. According to a senior officer, the Gun display Unit computerizes the entire artillery process and has enhanced the response time with lesser human error.