Regiment of Artillery, Indian Army – All You Need To Know

Regiment of Artillery is an operational Arm of the Indian Army. It is the largest regiment of the Indian Army. The motto of the Artillery Regiment is “Sarvatra Izzat-o-Iqbal” which means “Everywhere with Honor and Glory”. Its headquarters is located in Nashik, Maharashtra. The Regimental center is also known as the School of Artillery. The Artillery is known as the “God of War”.

Initially, Army Air Defence and Army Aviation Corps were part of the Regiment of Artillery. In the early 1990s, both units were separated from Artillery and were upgraded into the newest Regiments of the Indian Army. There are three divisions of the Regiment of Artillery located at :

1. 40 Artillery Division in Ambala, Haryana.
2. 41 Artillery Division in Pune, Maharashtra.
3. 42 Artillery Division in Alwar, Rajasthan.

Units of Artillery Regiment

1. Airborne Regiments (9 and 17 Para Field Regiment)
2. Field Regiments
3. Light Regiments
4. Medium Regiments
5. Missile Regiments
6. Rocket Regiments
7. SATA (Surveillance and Target Acquisition) Units.

Equipment of Artillery Regiment

1. 120 mm Light Mortar E1

These Mortars are light and easy to carry in the Battlefield. The Crew of 3 Soldiers are required to operate these 120 mm Light Mortars. The speculated range of Light Mortars is 8 Km.

2. 105 mm Light Indian Field Gun

The 105 mm Light Indian Field Gun is designed by Armament Research and Development Establishment (ARDE), a lab of DRDO, and was manufactured by Ordnance Factories. The Guns were inducted into the service in the early 1970s. The Range of 105 mm Light Indian Field Gun is 17 Km.

3. 122 mm D-30 howitzer

The 122 mm D-30 howitzer is designed by F.F. Petrov and was manufactured by PJSC Plant No 9. The D-30 howitzer was inducted into the Service in the early 1970s. The Range of 122 mm D-30 howitzer is 15-20 Km.

4. 130 mm M-46 Field Gun

The 130 mm M-46 Field Gun is designed by the Soviet Union and was manufactured by PJSC Motovilikha Plants. The 130 mm M-46 Field Gun was inducted into the Service in the late 1960s. The Range of the M-46 Field Gun is 28 Km. The Upgraded Version of the M-46 version is developed by Ordnance Factory Board known as Sarang. The Range of 155 mm Upgraded version Sarang is 39 Km.

5. 155 mm FH77B howitzer

The 155 mm FH77B howitzer is designed, developed, and manufactured by Swedish Company Bofors. The FH77B howitzer was inducted into the Service in the late 1980s. These Artillery Guns played an important role in the Kargil War. The Range of FH77B howitzer is 24 Km. India is upgrading the FH77B howitzer to improve the Range up to 38 Km which is known as Dhanush Artillery Gun.

6. M777 Howitzer

The M777 Howitzer is designed by the Armament Division of Vickers Shipbuilding and Engineering, Ltd (VSEL) and is Manufactured by BAE Global Combat Systems. These US Origin M777 Howitzer are being inducted into the Service since 2016. The Range of M777 Howitzer is 25 Km.

7. 105mm FV433 Self-propelled Gun

The 105mm FV433 Self-propelled Gun is designed and Manufactured by British Company Vickers Engineering. The FV433 Artillery Guns were inducted into the Service in the 1960s. Currently, there are 80 FV433 in service. These Guns have a range of 17 Km.

8. 130mm M-46 Catapult Self Propelled Gun

The M-46 Catapult Self Propelled Gun is designed and developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO). It is the conversion of the Vijayanta tank by mounting the Russian M-46 Gun on its hull. These were inducted into the Service in the late 1980s. These Guns have a Range of 27 Km.

9. 155 mm K-9 Vajra

The 155 mm K-9 Vajra is designed by the South Korean Agency for Defense Development and it is manufactured in India by Larsen and Toubro. The K-9 Vajra’s are being inducted into the service since 2016. The Range of 155 mm K-9 Vajra is 30-40 Km.

Rockets and Missiles

1. BM-21 Grad Multiple Rocket Launcher

The BM-21 Grad Multiple Rocket Launcher is designed and developed by the Russian Company Splav State Research and Production Enterprise. These Rocket Launchers were Inducted into the Service in the 1980s. A total of 40 Barrels are installed in the launcher with the firing rate of 2 Rockets/Second. The Range of these rockets is 20 Km.

2. Pinaka multi-barrel Rocket Launchers

The Pinaka multi-barrel Rocket Launcher is designed and developed by Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and manufactured by Larsen and Toubro and Tata Power. These Rockets are mounted on Tatra Truck. The Production of Pinaka Multi-Barrel Rocket Launchers started in the year 1986. The Range of these rockets is 40 Km.

3. Smerch multi-barrel Rocket Launcher

The Smerch multi-barrel Rocket Launcher is designed, developed, and Manufactured by Russian Company Splav State Research and Production Enterprise. These Rockets were inducted into the Service in the 2000s. The Range of Smerch multi-barrel Rockets in 70-80 Km. The 1812 Rocket Regiment is equipped with Smerch Rockets.

4. Brahmos Missile Batteries

Brahmos Missile is developed by Brahmos Aerospace, a joint venture of India and Russia. The Brahmos Missile Batteries are part of 861-864 Missile Regiment. The range of the Brahmos Missile is 290 Km. The Missile is being upgraded to an extended range of 400 km.

Apart from Guns, Missiles, and Rockets, the Regiment of Artillery Indian Army uses Unnamed Aerial Vehicle for Intelligence, Surveillance, and Target Correction Purposes. The Unmanned Aerial Vehicle with Arty Regiment are
1. IAI Heron
2. IAI searcher

Also Read: Military UAVs/Drones of Indian Armed Forces