Bharat Rakshak

how did he parallel park that thing ? I guess he just crashed whatever was parked there lol.

how did he parallel park that thing ? I guess he just crashed whatever was parked there lol.

^^^Even the Medium Regiments have BMPs which are for use of Observation Officers.

I don't know if this story is true, but it is very feasible. Have you ever had a ride in an abbot? It is small and compact, not the 155mm monsters you see today. Even compared to a T72, it looks/feels like a jeep.

As for the tanks used by Arty, no loan etc - the tanks were for dedicated use by Arty, and maintained by them - however my knowledge is dated, things may have changed.

On a different note, if you know Arty people, try to get a chance to see a battery/regt going into action - it is spectacular. I don't mean just the firing - I mean the gun positions being marked with a red flag, the gun areas being set up, while the battery comes racing in, and goes into action. Just be prepared to slip away if you see any fistcuffs between officers & jawans.

how did he parallel park that thing ? I guess he just crashed whatever was parked there lol.

Never ridden an Abbot but surely a T72. Even T72 is a very stuffy place to be in. Hats off the Armoured folks to sit in it while in the desert...

I guess his wheels (or rather tracks) grounded everyone around him

One realises the worth of an Amby only once gets into a pile up.

Cheap, you loose nothing and yet the most precious thing lives.

Like all Soviet-legacy tanks, the T-72's design has traded off interior space in return for a very small silhouette and efficient use of armour, to the point of replacing the fourth crewman with a mechanical loader. The smaller complement increases the crew's mental and physical exhaustion. The small interior also demands the use of shorter crewmen, with the maximum height set at 1.6 m (5 ft 3 in) in the Soviet Army (similar height restrictions exist in other Soviet-era armored vehicles).[12] The basic T-72 design has extremely small periscope viewports, even by the constrained standards of battle tanks and the driver's field of vision is significantly reduced when his hatch is closed. The steering system is a traditional dual-tiller layout instead of the steering wheel or steering yoke common in modern Western tanks. This set-up requires the near-constant use of both hands, which complicates employment of the seven speed manual gearbox.

That 5'3" claim from wiki sounds bogus. Soviets had thousands of T-72s. It would have been impossible to find so many crews less than 5'3" in the army. Or maybe it was a rule not followed in practice.

Two types of indigenously manufactured howitzers for the Indian Army will be ready for trials by December 2012 and by June 2013, Government told the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday.

In a written reply to the House, Defence Minister AK Antony said, "As per the Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) decision of October 2011, Ordnance Factory Board (OFB) is to manufacture 155mm howitzers." The OFBs have been asked to manufacture "two prototypes of 155mm/39 calibre FH-77-B02 guns" and the "upgraded version of 155 mm/45 calibre howitzers guns", he said.

On timelines for trials of these indigenous guns, Antony said that the two prototypes of 155mm/39 calibre howitzers will be ready by December 2012, followed by two samples of the upgraded 155mm/45 calibre guns by June 2013.

On Transfer of Technology (ToT) with the Swedish firm which supplied the 155mm/39 calibre Bofors guns, Antony said, "India had entered into license agreement with AB Bofors, Sweden for indigenous manufacture of 155mm/39 calibre FH-77-B02 guns and its ammunition."

On timelines for trials of these indigenous guns, Antony said that the two prototypes of 155mm/39 calibre howitzers will be ready by December 2012, followed by two samples of the upgraded 155mm/45 calibre guns by June 2013.

On Transfer of Technology (ToT) with the Swedish firm which supplied the 155mm/39 calibre Bofors guns, Antony said, "India had entered into license agreement with AB Bofors, Sweden for indigenous manufacture of 155mm/39 calibre FH-77-B02 guns and its ammunition."

Does above new item means the 155/39 cal are based on Bofors TOT? and the 45 cal is the upgraded barrel? Both could have other upgrades.

Is this the old ToT or a new one?

As part of the Field Artillery Rationalization Plan, Army has decided to standardize its artillery to 155mm/52 calibre barrel across the Towed, Mounted, Tracked and Wheeled platforms.

OFB is submiting prototypes of 155mm/45 calibre Bofors-type howitzers to Indian Army in June 2013.

Upgrading 130 mm/39 calibre M46 Russian guns to 155mm/45 calibre. 180 of 500 guns have been upgraded with Soltam kits. Metamorphosis project, as it is called, has no repeat orders.

> 600 of 105mm field guns and >700 Light Field Guns are being replaced by 130mm M-46 Field Gun to 155mm/45 calibre

An artillery gun produced within India to replace the Indian Army’s inventory of the 155 MM Howitzer supplied by AB Bofors, some 25 years ago, has reportedly performed well at the ongoing trials to test out the weapon in the heat of the deserts. The second round tests will be in winter in the mountains.

The India-made gun has been produced by the Ordnance Factory Board. The gun is presently being tested near Pokhran in Rajasthan and has done well. Source confirmed that yesterday, there were 12 rounds of firing from the gun and tests will continue till Saturday.

The 155 MM, 45 calibre Howitzer produced by the OFB looks similar to the Bofors and can reportedly fire at a distance in excess of 30 km. The accuracy reading will be out after tabulations at the end of trials. “All this delay and shortages of artillery guns could have been avoided had the OFB started work on the gun a year back,” said an official.

the problem in tank is of stabilization and control systems accurate to fractions of a degree in alignment, while the arty guns I suppose need to handle various levels of propellant charges and perhaps higher chamber pressures? the mechanism incl firing panels is also totally exposed and needs to be weather proof to a high degree.