Equipping the Indian Army - Artillery Modernisation

On Gunners Day, we look at India's Artillery Evolution and Modernisation, paving the path to Strategic Autonomy

-  ATANU K. PATTANAIK

Introduction 

Two recent conflicts impart many significant military and geopolitical lessons. One is the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict which raged from September to November 2020 and has again flared up in September 2023 pushing over 70,000 Armenians residents in the enclave back into Armenia. The other is the ongoing Russian special operations launched in February 2022 that has largely devastated Ukraine.

Azerbaijan’s combination of drones and artillery in its 2020 offensive effectively targeted Armenia’s high-value military assets, most notably in attacks on T-72 tanks and S-300 air defences. In particular, strikes on air defence units constrained Armenia’s ability to counter Baku’s UAVs, amplifying their effectiveness. They illustrate that while individual weapons systems will not revolutionise the nature of warfare, the synchronisation of new weapons like drones, shoot-and-scoot long-range artillery and short-range tactical missiles makes the modern battlefield more lethal.

Lessons from Global Conflicts