#breakingnews

Birth of Sharang Artillery

In October 2018, the Ministry of Defence had placed an order worth Rs 200 crore with the OFB for upgunning the Indian Army’s vintage Soviet era 130 mm M-46 artillery guns. The Indian Army wanted to upgun 5-regiments consisting of 300 artillery guns out of around 1000 it acquired from the Soviet Union. As per the contract, the barrel and breech block were to be replaced. In addition, new sighting systems and a new hydraulic rammer to ease loading of shells were to be added. The Sharang upgrade kit was pegged at about Rs 70 lakh per gun, which is less than one-fifth the cost of a brand new towed field artillery gun. So, basically Sharang is an upgraded version of Soviet era 130 mm M46 to 155mm 45 calibre gun ‘Sharang’ (Vishnu’s bow).

Sharang Upgrade

The completely indigenous Sharang 155mm/45calibre Gun system was indigenously developed with modification of Soltam 130 mm imported Russian Gun System at Gun Carriage Factory. Notable improvements with Sharang are the 45 caliber gun barrel chambered for 155mm ammunition. The breech loading mechanism was altered [although the OFB’s media wasn’t too specific as to how]. The wheels supporting the carriage were changed and the trails–the twin “legs” for stabilizing the weapon’s recoil–were redesigned as well and made sturdier. The 155 mm shell has 8 kg of TNT while a 130 mm shell that has only 3.4 kg of TNT. This cannon has special ability to destroy enemies hiding in the mountains. It can be elevated up to 70 degrees.

Range & Fire Power

The gun’s range has now gone from 27km to over 36km with the upgrade. The OFB claims the Sharang can strike targets up to 36 kilometers away without specifying if these mean firing conventional ammunition or rocket assisted projectiles. Other sourcers report it has a striking range of 39 kilometres. It also has the more explosive capability and hence and more damage potential, the official stated. The weapon system is simple to operate and maintain. The SharangTowed gun is designed for worldwide service under all climatic conditions and can fire all existing standard 155-mm ammunition. This step will reduce the logistic trail of the Army as it does away with the need to carry 130mm shells and support equipment as the mainstay of the Army’s long range artillery is 155mm guns.

Production update

The first indigenous SHARANG modified artillery gun system was handed over to the Indian Army in February 2020. Till date, Indian army has successfully inducted in 3 regiments of Sharang and is quite happy with the performance of the gun as it has outperformed the required standards of accuracy & consistency.
On 14th August 2023, the Chief managing director (CMD) of Advanced Weapons and Equipment India Limited (AWEIL), Rajesh Choudhary has informed TOI that the firm has received an order to manufacture defence products worth Rs 6000 crore. These include an order for 300 'Sarang' cannons from the Indian Army and orders worth Rs 450 crore received from European countries.

References:
https://www.globalsecurity.org/milita...
https://frontierindia.com/155-mm-shar...

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