|
|
Article: The missing guns ; National security is compromised as allegations of paybacks and the ghost of the bofors gundeal continue to impede the modernisation of the artillery.
- Article from:
- India Today
- Article date:
- September 7, 2009
- Author:
CopyrightCopyright 2009 India Today. Provided by ProQuest LLC. (Hide copyright information)
|
One of the most iconic visuals of the Kargil war in the summer of
1999 was the sight of Bofors howitzers blasting away at the heights
to soften the ground for advancing infantry. It would seem that the
artillery gun had vindicated itself and the army would finally
restart the modernisation of its field artillery regiments.
A decade later, the army and the artillery are back to what is a
shrinking square one. Since the last of the 410 Bofors guns rolled
in 1987, the Indian Army has not bought a single new howitzer. It
currently has less than 380 of the original Bofors guns and
desperately needs at least 400 new howitzers-220 wheeled and 180
tracked-to meet its basic force requirements.
...