Chinese army not retreating, Indian army will deploy heavy weapons

Ground Report | New Delhi: Chinese army not retreating; China is showing signs of not retreating along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh, after which the Indian Army has decided to deploy more heavy weapons there. The Indian Army has decided to replace the 105 mm field guns, Bofors and rocket systems and deploy new M-777 ultra-light howitzers.

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Chinese army not retreating

According to the report of Times of India, in the high areas in front of China, the M-777 will be taken from one sector to another by Chinook helicopter. Whereas the Border Roads Organization has built roads over the years, this heavy artillery will be transported by road.

On the occasion of Gunner's Day on Tuesday, Director General (Artillery) Lt Gen TK Chawla said, 'As the BRO takes the road network to the forward areas, we will be able to deploy our weapons at many places.

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He also informed that the Army is conducting deployment trials on the self-propelled track gun K-9 Vajra to see how it can be installed at high altitudes. "As the BRO moves the road network to further areas, we will be able to deploy our guns at more places," said Lt Gen TK Chawla, Director General (Artillery) on Tuesday, a day before Gunners Day.

K-9 guns

He said that the army is also testing whether the new K-9 Vajra self-propelled tracked gun, which has been procured for operation in plains and deserts, can be deployed effectively in high altitude areas as well.

The force has inducted 100 of the 155 mm/52-caliber K-9 guns, which have a range of 28-38 km, under the Rs 4,366 joint project of L&T and South Korean Hanwha Defense. Lt Gen Chawla said, 'We are also investigating whether there is a need for more K-9 guns.

As for the M-777 howitzers primarily built for the Chinese front, nearly half of the 145 guns worth over Rs 5,000 crore have been supplied from the US so far. Three M-777 regiments with a range of 30 km have been deployed along the Line of Actual Control with China.

While there has been slow progress in the two major indigenous guns, both faced problems during the trials. The first is the 155mm/45-caliber Dhanush howitzer, an electronically enhanced version of the original Bofors guns. The Army had earlier ordered 114 of these guns from the Ordnance Factory Board (OFB) for Rs 1,260 crore.

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