|
 Artillery systems captured
significant attention at the exhibition. Improvements for the Bofors FH77 currently in Indian service were presented by
SWS Defense the company was willing to discuss some details about
its proposal for the modernization of the 155/52 howitzer and the
FH55BW autonomous, mobile (truck based) version. Soltam is
currently converting Indian M-46 artillery to
M-46S standard and is also
competing on the upcoming Indian procurement tender for towed, autonomous
gun systems. For this program Soltam proposed for this program the autonomous
ATHOS
2052 155mm /52 cal system. the company also offers a truck mounted
artillery version -
ATMOS which was
recently chosen for the
ATROM program in
Romania. South African Denel
which is also competing for the lucrative Indian program was also
represented with a broad range of artillery systems. The company
displayed the Condor T-5 155mm/52Cal truck mounted gun, and the
autonomous T-6 self propelled guns, both seem of interest for
Indian procurement programs. Another system, the
LWSPH was
presented by Singapore technologies Kinetics. Two self propelled
advanced mortars were also on display - Soltam's
CARDOM and
ST Kinetics Super Rapid Advanced Mortar System (SRAMS)
– both 120mm mortar systems.
 Artillery
precision guided munitions for
artillery were represented by a wide range of guided munitions for
artillery and mortars, enabling fire units to engage
targets with very high precision. The
Krasnopol 152/155 mm,
Kitolov 2M 122mm and
Gran 120mm mortar projectiles,
which are already in use with the Indian Army.
Responding to the Indian enthusiasm for artillery
employment,
several companies also promoted advanced dedicated maintenance and support systems
for artillery. AGI Ltd from the UK presented the AGICAM, a visual
inspection system used for inspecting the barrel bore gauges. The
camera is inserted into the barrel and provides either 360
degree peripheral view or a detailed focus on a particular area in more details,
by utilizing a 90 deg. Viewing head. The images are sent to the
inspection system via wireless link. A different inspection system
developed by AGI is the BG20, which monitors the wear along the
bore of the gun barrel. Software tools enable filing and storage of
measurements by individual barrels, and tracking of specific
units approaching or exceeding tube abrasion. Another
system, Solclean, was demonstrated by Soltam, The semi automatic
cleaning system handles 76-155mm, rifled or smooth bore barrels in
1 – 4 hours, using a special chemical foam for removing copper,
brass and normal combustion residues without the use of ammonia or
abrasive materials. |
