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In the possible future wars, Artillery will play a key role of shaping the battlefield by suppressing enemy air defence and to undertake decisive victory.
Firepower as a Force Multiplier
The role of modern armed forces is to prevent conflict through deterrence and if it does break out, to fight and win – preferably on the adversary’s territory. Future wars on the Indian Sub-continent are likely to be limited wars. These are likely to spin out of ongoing conflicts like the six decades old military stand-off along the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir (J&K), the Actual Ground Position Line (AGPL) on Saltoro Ridge west of Siachen Glacier conflict zone and the proxy war being waged by Pakistan. Despite the ongoing rapprochement between India and China, a limited border conflict cannot be ruled out due to the unresolved territorial and boundary dispute and the yet-to-be demarcated Line of Actual Control (LAC). As the ongoing conflicts are mainly along land borders in the mountains, there is a very high probability that the next conventional conflict will again break out in the mountains.
The next conflict in the Indian context will be fought under a nuclear overhang. Serious attempts will be made to ensure that the conflict remains confined to the mountains as a spillover to the plains may escalate out of control to nuclear exchanges. In any future war that the Indian armed forces are called upon to fight in the mountains, gaining, occupying and holding territory and evicting the enemy from Indian territory occupied by him will continue to remain important military aims. Only massive asymmetries of firepower provided by guns, rockets and missiles armed with precision-guided munitions (PGMs) can possibly achieve the desired military objectives. If proof was needed of this self-evident fact, it was amply provided during the 50-day Kargil conflict in 1999 where asymmetric artillery and air force firepower had paved the way for victory.
Firepower and manoeuvre are two sides of the same coin and both complement each other. However, in tactical situations in which either one lags behind due to the fog of war, the other must rise to the occasion and compensate if a favourable outcome is to be achieved. It is well known that future conventional wars on the Indian Sub-continent will be fought under the nuclear shadow. Hence, it will be extremely risky to plan a battle that involves deep manoeuvre, particularly in the plains. In such a situation, favourable outcomes will be possible only through the massive application of artillery and aerially-delivered firepower. This major restriction on the manoeuvre component of military operations on land will lead to much greater emphasis having to be placed on firepower to achieve military aims and objectives.
In offensive operations on the future battlefield, the artillery will launch fire assaults or “attack by firepower” in conjunction with other combat echelons to shape the battlefield and, ultimately, create suitable conditions for the decisive defeat of the enemy. In fact, with the long reach of its missiles, rockets and medium guns, artillery firepower will systematically degrade the enemy’s preparations for the attack from the concentration area onwards. The concentrated application of massed artillery firepower will disrupt the enemy’s combat cohesion throughout the defensive battle. The Indian artillery will play an increasingly important role in the successful execution of integrated land-air operations on the modern battlefield by suppression of the enemy’s air defence (SEAD) assets to enable own attack helicopters to operate freely and to also enable ground attack aircraft of the IAF to launch strikes successfully.
With its ever-increasing range and lethality, the artillery is now capable of simultaneously fighting the contact, intermediate and deep battles. Its nuclear-tipped ballistic missiles such as the Agni series of missiles will guarantee India’s nuclear deterrence. Its conventionally armed ballistic missiles such as the Prithvi and Prahaar and long-range rockets like Smerch and Pinaka will influence the final outcome of a battle by striking deep. Unmanned Combat Air vehicles (UCAVs) are likely to join the arsenal soon. The utility of UCAVs has been amply proved during the recent conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq and their entry will add a new dimension to the firepower punch of the artillery. In short, the integrated and synergetic application of artillery firepower at the point of decision will gradually but surely pave the way for victory and also help to reduce the army’s casualties. The artillery will be a co-equal partner with the manoeuvre arms in the successful execution of firepower and manoeuvre provided it is equipped with modern 155 mm guns, long-range rocket launchers and surface-to-surface missiles without any further delay and is armed with PGMs in large quantities.
Multi-barrel Rocket Launcher (MBRL) Systems
The Indian artillery has been equipped with the 40-barrel 22-km range 122 mm Grad of Russian origin since the early-1970s. With high explosive shells, a battery of six Grad MBRLs could saturate a large area target of 400×600 metres with a salvo of 240 warheads in 20 seconds. This is truly devastating firepower that catches the adversary out in the open and causes horrendous damage before he can run for cover. Extended range (ER) rockets are being introduced for the 122 mm Grad MBRL that has been in service for over three decades. The ER rockets will enhance the weapon system’s range from 22 to about 40 km. However, no PGMs were developed for this weapon.
As a replacement system, the Indian army opted for the indigenously developed Pinaka rocket launcher system. A contract worth Rs 5,000 crore has been signed for two regiments of the 12-tube Pinaka MBRL weapon system, developed by the DRDO, Larsen and Toubro and the Tatas. The 214mm Pinaka rockets will have an approximate range of 37 km. Two more regiments of Pinaka MBRL are likely to be added later.
As the development of Pinaka exceeded the planned time frame and also to acquire a much longer rocket artillery system, a contract for the acquisition of three regiments of the 12-tube, 300mm Smerch multi-barrel rocket launcher (MBRL) system with 90 km range has been signed with Russia’s Rosoboronexport. This weapon system can hit targets both at tactical level and operational depth and is a major boost for the long-range firepower capabilities of the army.
Short-range Surface to Surface Missiles (SSMs)
Efforts are also underway to add ballistic as well as cruise missiles to the artillery arsenal so as to be able to hit targets at strategic depths inside enemy territory. The single-stage, 150-km range Prithvi-I SSM is known to be dual-capable, that is, it can carry a nuclear as well as conventional warhead. It was introduced into service in 1994 and has been improved considerably since then, particularly in terms of accuracy. Its conventional warhead includes a 1,000 kg high explosive and improved conventional munitions (ICM) projectiles. It can also be armed with a PGM if considered necessary. However, it is an ageing missile launched by liquid fuel propellants and will soon be phased out of service. The DRDO has developed the 150-km range solid fuel Prahar SSM for tactical use during conventional conflict. Prahar has an accuracy of better than 10 metres.
“We are withdrawing the tactical 150 km-range Prithvi missiles and will replace them with the Prahar missiles, which are more capable and have more accuracy,” DRDO chief Avinash Chander said in June 2013. Prahar was first test fired in mid-2011. The uniqueness of the missile system is that it can be fired in the salvo mode also from one launcher vehicle in which four missiles can be fired in one go.Though the range is inadequate for this missile to be fired from the plains over the Himalayas against Chinese forces in Tibet, it could be useful against the Pakistan army and other static targets on the western front. India needs a SSM with a range of up to 500 km for use against targets in Tibet. However, conventionally-armed SSMs can be mistaken for nuclear-tipped SRBMs and are inherently destabilising when nuclear-armed adversaries engage in conflict.
The BrahMos supersonic cruise missile (Mach 2.8 to 3.0) has been developed under a joint venture partnership between India and Russia. It has a velocity of Mach 2.5 to 2.8 and cruises at an altitude of 15 km. With a precision strike capability, very high kill energy and range of 290 km, it is being inducted into the army. A ceremonial induction function of the Block-I version was held in July 2007. Since then, the Block-II version has successfully completed trials. It is a versatile missile that can be launched from TATRA mobile launchers and silos on land, aircraft and ships and, perhaps in future, also from submarines. About 50 BrahMos missiles are expected to be produced every year. These terrain hugging missiles are virtually immune to counter measures due to their high speed and very low radar cross section and are far superior to sub-sonic cruise missiles like Pakistan’s Babur cruise missile. The BrahMos will be a true force multiplier. Nirbhay, a sub-sonic cruise missile, is being developed by the DRDO. Nirbhay is an extension of the Lakshya – a pilotless target for air-to-air shooting practice by aircraft.
Precision-guided Munitions (PGMs)
It is necessary to achieve destruction of hard targets such as bunkers, tanks,ICVs and missile launchers with the least number of shells so that collateral damage is minimised if it cannot be altogether avoided. A small number of PGMs can achieve what a very large number of ‘dumb’ high explosive shells cannot. The effects that are desired to be achieved in effects-based operations (EBOs) can only be achieved through the widespread use of PGMs. In Gulf War I in 1991, approximately 20 to 30 per cent of the ammunition fired by the US and its allies comprised PGMs. In Gulf War II it went up to 50 to 60 per cent. During more recent conflicts, such as the one in Libya, the employment of PGMs was as high as 90 per cent.
Modern artillery firing 155 mm precision strike ammunition can be employed across the full frontage and depth of the battlefield to cause extensive damage and destruction to the enemy’s forces. Today, Laser-guided artillery shells can destroy bunkers, bridges and small buildings with a single-shot kill probability (SSKP) as high as 80 to 90 per cent. Targets that can be seen by the troops in contact with the enemy can be ‘illuminated’ by a Laser beam by a ground-based artillery observer (or spotter) carrying a Laser Target Designator.
Targets that are hidden behind crest lines and on reverse slopes can be ‘designated’ by an airborne artillery observer in an army aviation helicopter or even by an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV). Improved conventional munitions (ICM) shells carrying anti-personnel grenades and lethal ‘air-burst’ ammunition can be ‘dispensed’ over soft targets such as administrative bases, rations and fuel storage dumps, headquarters and rest areas. These have to be accurately directed using commando artillery observers or TV camera equipped UAVs to achieve the desired effect. Other force multipliers include gun locating radars for effective real-time counter-bombardment, UAVs equipped with TV cameras and suitable for high altitude operations for target acquisition, accurate target engagement and damage assessment, and powerful integrated observation equipment (IOE) fitted with night vision devices for long-range target engagement by day and night.
The Indian artillery must induct PGMs in large numbers to give effect to its emerging role of causing destruction rather than merely neutralisation of the battlefield. The Krasnopol 155 mm PGM of Russian origin is the only PGM held at present. At least 50,000 rounds of Krasnopol were reportedly procured in 2002-03. Current holdings of PGMs are rather low because these are very expensive to procure. This shortcoming must be removed over the next two five-year defence plans. The PGM holding of the artillery must go up to 25 to 30 per cent of the total ammunition held by 2022, the end of the 14th Defence Plan. PGMs must also be developed for use with unmanned combat air vehicles (UCAVs). This will be one investment that will yield excellent results.
Three types of ammunition are generally said to fall in the category of PGMs. The first is terminally homing or ‘hit to kill’ PGM like the Russian Krasnopol laser-guided projectile or the Bonus shell of Bofors/ BAE Systems. The second type is the sensor fused or ‘shoot to kill’ ammunition, which is akin to Sensor Fuzed Munition (SFM) of the US. The third is ‘course corrected area effect warhead’, for example Raytheon’s GPS-guided Excalibur PGM for 155 mm artillery. Similar projectiles have been developed for the Multiple Launch Rocket System (MLRS).Though guidance during flight is normally based on GPS, Israel’s Rafale has recently developed an Electro Optical Homing devices called Marigold, which is based on image matching and does not use a GPS. With no communications, no humans, and only a camera in the loop, the system offers jamming-proof precision fire, which is highly accurate. India’s Long-Term Integrated Perspective Plan (LTIPP) and Technology Perspective and Capability Roadmap (TPCR) have laid down the requirement of future PGMs as having a CEP of three metres.
Improvements in the field of command and control (C4I2SR) must keep pace with innovations in ammunition design. Here the artillery has made some progress but much more needs to be done. Good command and control networks combined with state-of-the-art reconnaissance, surveillance and target acquisition (RSTA) systems will enable the optimum utilisation of all available firepower resources during times when hundreds of calls for artillery fire saturate the communications networks and resources are at a premium. The introduction into service of the Artillery Command and Control System (ACCCS) is the beginning of capacity building for effects-based operations that will form the backbone of network-centric operations in future. However, achieving such capabilities requires huge capital investments and the funds necessary need to be planned for as part of the modernisation process.
Hence, it is imperative that artillery modernisation is undertaken in the fields of guns, rocket launchers, missiles, PGMs and C4I2SR with alacrity so as to generate both qualitative and quantitative firepower asymmetries to achieve unassailable dominance on the future battlefield. Unfortunately, the modernisation plans of the artillery have stagnated for one reason or another for almost two decades. The civilian political leadership, the military hierarchy and the bureaucracy need to enhance their efforts to break the logjam and perhaps even take calculated risks with procurement procedures, if necessary, in view of the operational urgency.
Fire Power: Rockets, Missiles and Precision-guided Munitions - Defence and Security of India
