Defense spending across the world is increasing at a momentous pace owing to various geopolitical factors. In fact, deployment of troops and weapons alongside boundaries by various countries has shown a significant growth lately due to defense reasons fueled by increasing boundary disputes.
The latest instance of this trend comes from India, where the country has decided to further improve its artillery firepower in eastern Arunachal Pradesh along the LAC (Line of Actual Control) it shares with China by deploying M777 Ultra-Light Howitzers made by the U.S. by the end of the year.
The move comes ahead of the expected visit of Chinese President, Xi Jinping to visit India next week. Following Indian Government’s decision to conduct its largest mountain combat exercise; named Him Vijay, in the state of Arunachal Pradesh. China reportedly expressed concerns over anticipated combat exercise.
The Indian Army is considering deploying approximately seven regiments of the 145 howitzers in the country’s northern sector including Ladakh as well as the eastern sector of Arunachal Pradesh. A regiment usually contains about 18 guns.
Earlier in November 2016, India had ordered 145 howitzers for $750 million from the U.S. The first 25 howitzers would be provided off the shelf, while the other 120 howitzers would be assembled in India itself.
The M777 howitzers, which have been previously used by the U.S. in Iraq and Afghanistan, would help India protect its borders with China in Arunachal and Ladakh. These howitzers offer an advantage of being easily airlifted to the areas which are close to the LAC. The howitzers have a 24-30km range.
The M777s would play a role of a game-changer in the eastern region. These highly portable guns can easily be deployed as well as redeployed for missions by using the Boeing CH-47F (I) also known as Chinook Helicopters. The howitzers would be a part of India’s light artillery regiments.
Indian Army’s Bofors, another important gun stationed throughout the region, would be transported to different locations using roads; a daunting task for the Army due to the limited maneuverability offered by the Bofors transport system. Each Bofors weighs 30-40 tones with inclusion of its towing vehicle.
According to sources knowledgeable of the matter, the Indian Air Force also plans to rollout the US-made Apache AH-64E attack choppers in the country’s eastern sector within the next two years after the creation of a suitable base with chopper support.