The Artillery Regiment
Often referred to as the army combat that is the game changer or the tide turner by unleashing its lethal depository of guns, firepower, howitzers, etc., the soul of the battlefield that can wreck devastation and turmoil to the enemy and is the backbone or forms the base of the Defence Forces.
The Regiment of Artillery is the second biggest regiment or arms of the Defence forces, next to infantry regiment that is pivotal in helping the nation to win many battles post the Independence Era with its decisive tactics and techniques in Counter Insurgency operations in Jammu and Kashmir as well as in the North east and the famous Kargil War of 1999.
The artillery is the game changer and changes the tide and course of a battle with its repository of ammunitions, missiles including vast collection of field guns, mortars, howitzers, rockets, missiles, radar systems and even Unarmed Aerial vehicles (UAV’s) that are all stationed at key positions in order to provide surveillance and security to demolish the enemy or the target with its heavy ammunitions and guns. The Artillery can thus be called as the cover or the protector realm of the Infantry/ Armored Corps in helping them take charge or assault swiftly by guarding and covering their movement, capturing key positions to take down the enemy.
The Artillery has rightly been labeled as the “God of War” because of the gravity and impact it has in altering the true course of a war with its lethal discharge of ammunitions and firepower in the battlefield. Its motto is Sarvatra Izzat-o-Iqbal (Everywhere with Honour and Glory) which is the the Hindustani equivalent of the Royal Artillery motto Ubique Quo Fas Et Gloria Ducunt (Everywhere That Right And Glory Lead) with its insignia as a gun with a star of India placed above it.
Division of Artillery Regiments
The regiment has been classified into various units depending on the weaponry they possess and their roles during the combat. Broadly they are classified as-
Light Artillery(Mortars)
- - 120 mm E1 Light Mortar
Field Artillery
- - 105mm 105 mm Indian Field GunLight Field Gun
- - 122mm D-30 Howitzer
Medium Artillery
- - 130mm M-46 Field Gun; the upgraded version of this gun is the 155mm Sharang Artillery Gun
- - 155mm Haubits FH77/B Howitzer
- - 155mm Dhanush (howitzer)
- - The gun is based on the FH77 and approved for series production in 2019. It had struggled to clear user trials, failing on three occasions in a row in 2017.
- - 155mm M777 howitzer
- - The barrel of one of the first guns inducted into service exploded during a calibration test in 2017. Faulty ammunition supplied by the Ordnance Factory Board was blamed.
- - 155mm DRDO Advanced Towed Artillery Gun System (ATAGS)
- - Failed user trials in September 2020 after gun suffered a barrel burst injuring four personnel.
Self-Propelled Artillery
- - 105mm FV433 Abbot self-propelled gun
- - 130mm M-46 Catapult self-propelled gun
- - 155mm K9 Vajra
Rocket Artillery
- - 122mm BM-21 Grad Multiple Barrel Rocket Launcher
- - 214mm Pinaka Multi Barrel Rocket Launcher
- - 300mm BM-30 Smerch Multiple Barrel Rocket Launcher - 1812 Rocket Regiment equipped in 2009
Missile Artillery
- - Brahmos Missile System (861 - 864 Missile Regiments)
- - Agni Missile System
- - Prithvi Missile System
- - Prahaar missile
- - Shaurya missile
- - S-400 missile system
Surveillance & Target Acquisition
- - UAV Drones (Heron) System
- - ELM Mast Mobile Radar System
- - WLR (Weapons Locating Radar) System
- - LORROS (Long Range Reconnaissance and Observation Systems)
- - MBFSR (Medium Range Battlefield Surveillance Radar) System
- - Short Range Battle Field Surveillance Radar System.
