Article Posted on : - Sep 09, 2022

The M-777 ultra-light howitzer of Indian Army. (A file photo)

NAMSAI, ARUNACHAL PRADESH (PTI): The Indian Army has deployed a significant number of easily transportable M-777 ultra-light howitzers in mountainous regions along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Arunachal Pradesh, military officials said on Thursday.

The Army's bolstering of firepower in the forward locations of Arunachal Pradesh comes after the howitzers were deployed in several sensitive areas in the Ladakh sector amid the lingering border standoff with China.

India has been ramping up its overall military might in all strategically key areas along the nearly 3,500-km-long LAC after the Galwan Valley clash in June 2020 that triggered a major escalation in tensions between the Indian and Chinese armies.

Army officials said the deployment of M-777 howitzers coupled with additional air assets including unmanned aerial vehicles, military aircraft and surveillance equipment has enhanced India's military preparedness in the Arunachal Pradesh sector.

The Indian Army faced the difficulty of transporting heavy artillery guns in the mountainous regions but the deployment of ultra-light howitzers has addressed the challenge.

"The ultra-light M-777 can be transported quickly in Chinook helicopters. We now have the flexibility of quickly moving them from one place to another based on operational requirements," a senior official told PTI.

"Now we are in a much better position to deal with any eventualities," he added.

The Army deployed M-777 guns in Bum-La last year but now the howitzers are being pressed into service in Arunachal Pradesh's RALP area, comprising several key mountainous regions.

The M-777 artillery guns, having a maximum range of 30 km and manufactured by the BAE Systems, were first received by the Army in 2018. The procurement had come after a 30-year wait for new artillery guns since the Bofors scandal.

India ordered 145 M-777 guns from the US under a US$ 750 million deal in 2016.

The addition of upgraded L70 air defence guns to the existing Bofors guns in the forward locations in Arunachal Pradesh also added additional might to the Army's combat prowess.

The L-70 guns were originally manufactured by Swedish defence firm Bofors AB in the 1950s and India started inducting over 1,000 of them in the 1960s.

The guns have been upgraded by state-run Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL).

The Army has taken a series of measures to boost its operational capabilities in the eastern sector bordering China.

The Army has been putting an equal amount of focus on enhancing operational capability in the Northern as well as eastern sectors, officials said.

The eastern Ladakh border standoff between the Indian and Chinese militaries erupted on May 5, 2020, following a violent clash in the Pangong lake areas and both sides gradually enhanced their deployment by rushing in tens of thousands of soldiers as well as heavy weaponry.

The tension escalated following a deadly clash in Galwan Valley.

As a result of a series of military and diplomatic talks, the two sides completed the disengagement process in the Gogra area and the north and south banks of the Pangong lake last year.

The last round of military talks in July ended in a stalemate as there was no forward movement in ending the standoff in remaining friction points in the region.

Each side currently has around 50,000 to 60,000 troops along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in the sensitive sector.