Artillery

Army Strength

ORGANIZATION

Personnel

  • Army: 980,000 active troops.
  • Army Reserves: 300,000 first line troops (within five years of full time service)
    ........................500,000 second line troops (commitment until 50 years of age).
  • Territorial Army: 40,000 first line troops (160,000 second line troops).

Command Structure

  • Indian Army HQ: New Delhi
  • Operational Commands: Northern Command - HQ in Udhampur, Jammu & Kashmir.
    ..................................Western Command - HQ in Chandimandir, Chandigarh.
    ..................................South Western Command - HQ in Pathankot, Punjab.
    ..................................Central Command - HQ in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh.
    ..................................Eastern Command - HQ in Kolkota, West Bengal.
    ..................................Southern Command - HQ in Pune, Maharashtra.
  • Functional Commands: Training Command (ARTRAC)

Formations

  • Corps: 13 Corps, consisting of 3 'Strike' Corps + 10 'Holding' Corps - including 1 Desert Corps.
  • Armour: 3 Armoured Divisions + 8 Independent Armoured Brigades = 63 Armoured Regiments;
    ..............13 T-55 Regiments
    ..............35 T-72M1 Regiments
    ..............14 Vijayanta Regiments
    ..............1 Arjun Mk.1 Regiment (Undergoing Trials)
    *T-90S MBTs are currently being delivered to replace the older tanks.
  • Infantry: 4 RAPID, 10 Mountain Divisions, 18 Infantry Divisions + 7 Independent Infantry Brigades.
    *Each RAPID (Reorganised Army Plains Infantry Division) has a Mech. Infantry Brigade.
    *One Infantry Division is earmarked for mountain use - 3rd Division.
  • Artillery: Two artillery divisions (30 AD and 41 AD).
    *Each division has at least one artillery brigade.
    *Nearly 200 regiments of field artillery exist.
  • Air Defence: 50+ regiments - 35 'Flak' and 15 'Point Defence' regiments.
    ...................SAM: Two SA-6 Groups - 12+ regiments.
    *Each 'Flak' regiment has four battalions - 64 guns.
    *20 additional 'Flak' regiments held in reserve.
    *New AD Groups - one per Strike Corps - being formed: One regiment each of ZRK-SD Kub (SA-6), OSA-AKM (SA-8b), and ZSU-23-4 Shilka or Tunguska-M1. SA-10 batteries are known to be in used in the vicinity of Bhaba Atomic Research Centre (BARC) in Trombay.
  • Aviation: 14 Helicopter Units (HAL Chetak and HAL Cheetah) in anti-tank, liaison and observation duties.
  • Territorial Army: 25 Infantry Battalions
    .........................29 Departmental Units
    .........................4 Ecological Battalions

EQUIPMENT

ARMOURED VEHICLES

Active Main Battle Tanks - 62 Armoured Regiments

  • T-90S: 5 regiments @ 62 tanks each, (310) plus a further 1330 tanks being locally assembled.
  • T-72M1: 35 regiments @ 55 tanks each, (1950) upgrade program in progress - moving very slowly.
  • T-55: 10 regiments @ 55 tanks each, (550) with L7/105mm gun + the Vijayanta standard upgrade.
  • Vijayanta: 11 regiments @ 72 tanks each, (800+) upgraded with FCS and night fighting equipment.

Reserve/Store MBTs

  • T-55: 200 - To be phased out by 2008
  • Vijayanta: 1000 - To be phased out by 2008

     

Active Infantry Combat Vehicles

  • BMP-1: 700
  • BMP-2: 900+ (production continues at 100 per year)
  • OT-62/64: 700+ (second line and mortar carrier duties)

Reserve/Store ICVs

  • 500+ (miscellaneous Czechoslovakian & Russian types)

     

Reconnaissance Vehicles

  • Ferret: 100 (used for internal security duties)
  • BRDM-2: 110 (locally fitted with AT-4, AT-5 and Milan ATGW)

ARTILLERY; ~200 REGIMENTS

Active Towed Artillery

  • 105mm LFG: 700+ (Being replaced by 130mm M-46 Field Gun)
  • 105mm IFG Mk.1,2,3: 600+ (Being replaced by 130mm/155mm M-46 Field Gun)
  • 122mm D-30: 550
  • 130mm M-46: 750
  • 155mm M-46: 35 guns upgraded to 155mm calibre, out of a total of 180 guns, as of March 2005.
  • 155mm Bofors FH-77B: 410 (An estimated 100+ guns are cannibalized and are not operational)

     

Reserve Towed Artillery

  • 75mm Mountain Howitzer: 900+
  • 76mm M-48Mountain Gun: 215
  • 88mm 25 Pounder: 800 (also used for training)
  • 100mm M-1944: 350
  • 180mm S-23: 100

     

Self-Propelled Artillery

  • 105mm Abbot: 80
  • 130mm Catapult M-46: 100+

*Both guns have been phased out from active service due to age/mechanical problems.
*A self-propelled artillery competition is underway in India.

Multiple Rocket Launcher (Artillery)

  • 122mm BM-21/LRAR: 150+
  • 214mm Pinaka: ~30 (one regiment per year)
  • 300mm Smerch: 62 (deliveries commenced as of 2007 and will be completed by 2010)

     

Mortars

  • 81mm Indian E1 + L1A1: 5000+
  • 120mm AM-50: 1500+ (in service with mtn. artillery. SP versions with some Inf. Bdes.)
  • 160mm Tampella: 200+ (in store)

     

Anti-Tank Guided Weapons

  • Milan 2
  • AT-3 Sagger (being phased out)
  • AT-4 Spigot
  • AT-5 Spandrel
  • SS-11-B1 (used against bunkers)
  • Harpon (used against bunkers)

     

Recoilless Weapons

  • 57mm M-18: Being replaced by AGS-17 (2 issued per company)
  • 84mm Carl Gustaf: One per infantry section
  • 106mm M-40A1: 3000+ (10 per infantry battalion)

     

Air Defence Guns

  • 23mm: ZSU-23-2-320 (five regiments)
    ................ZSU-23-4 Shilka SP- 75
  • 30mm: Tunguska-M1 - 20 (up to 60 more on order)
  • 40mm: L40/70 - 1920 (30 regiments)
    ............L40/60 - 1280 (20 regiments in reserve with Territorial Army)
    SIPRI {Stockholm International Peace Research Institute} reported that 24 Tunguska M1 systems were ordered in 1996 and all 24 systems were delivered by 1999. They estimate an additional 50 such systems are on order. SA-19 Grisom (9M311-M1) SAMs - which form part of the Tunguska M1's weapon systems - were also ordered in 1996. An order for 384 such missiles were placed and were delivered by 1999.

     

Surface-To-Air Missiles

  • SA-6 (launchers): 160 - Two SA-6 Groups - 12 regiments.
  • SA-7 (launchers): 620 (being phased out).
  • SA-8b (launchers): 50
  • SA-10 (launchers): 24 (2-3 regiments being delivered/on order).
  • SA-13 (launchers): 250+
  • SA-16 (launchers): 2000+ (to cover 'blind-areas' for CAAD units, as well as being on issue to infantry battalions - six per battalion).
    *Each AD Group - under each Strike Corps - will have one regiment each of ZRK-SD Kub (SA-6), OSA-AKM (SA-8b) and ZSU-23-4 or Tunguska-M1. India's indigenous SAMs - Akash and Trishul - are to be deployed as replacements for the SA-6 and SA-8 respectively and will enter service after successfully completing user trials.

     

Surface-To-Surface Missiles

  • SRBM: Prithvi SS-150 - 15 launchers & 75 missiles in 333 Missile Group. More being delivered.

     

Army Aviation

  • 14 Helicopter Units (300+ HAL Chetak and HAL Cheetah).
    *Anti-Armour: ex-IAF Chetak.
    *Observation/Liaison: HAL Chetak and HAL Cheetah.

     

Surveillance

  • Unmanned Aerial Vehicles: Searcher, Nishant.
  • Battlefield Surveillance Radar: BSR Mk.2 (locally built).
    ...........................................ELTA EL/M-2140 BSR*.
  • Artillery Radar: AN/TPQ-37 Firefinder WLS
    .......................MUFAR - (Multi-Unit Field Artillery Radar; HAL-manufactured artillery radar)
    .......................Rajendra (Primarily air defence, but also ideal for artillery location)
    .......................Green Archer (Mortar location)
    .......................Cymbelline (Mortar location)

*SIPRI {Stockholm International Peace Research Institute} reported that 200 EL/M-2140 radar were ordered in 1999 and 25 were delivered by 2001. SIPRI also reported that 56 ELTA EL/M-2129 artillery radar were ordered in 1999 and five were delivered by 2001. However the EL/M-2129 is actually a Movement Detection & Security Radar (MDSR) and not an artillery radar. Jane's Defence Weekly (JDW) confirms this order and states that the deal included a transfer of technology, for local manufacture by Bharat Electronics Limited. JDW also reported that 1022 man-portable radars and 30 battlefield surveillance radars has been acquired from the Israeli company, El-Op, in a deal signed in August 2002.

SIPRI's database reveals that 32 Searcher UAVs were ordered in 2000 and 16 systems were delivered by 2001. An earlier 1996 order for 12 Searcher UAVs was completed in 1998. SIPRI also reported that 40 Harpy anti-radar UAVs were ordered in 1997 and all 40 were delivered by 1999-2000. SIPRI reported that six Heron-2 UAVs were ordered in 2001.