In a significant development, IIT Madras announced that it is partnering with Munitions India Limited, a defence PSU, to develop 155mm smart ammunition for the Indian army.
While IIT Madras designed the smart ammunition, Munitions India Ltd will act as the development partner to manufacture prototypes for development trials. The company will be responsible for mass production following the development in the future.
The project aims to develop a fin-stabilised, canard-controlled guided artillery shell with a minimum range of 8 km and a maximum range of 38 km. It can be fired from 39 and 45 calibre howitzers without any modifications to the gun.
In an effort to bring indigenization in India's #defence sector, @iitmadras will be partnering with @IndiaMunitions, to develop India’s first indigenously designed 155 Smart Ammunition. The objective is to increase the accuracy of the 155 mm shell within a CEP of 10 metres. pic.twitter.com/EWoEw1e9ms
— IIT Madras (@iitmadras) February 5, 2024
The shells will have a 10-metre CEP (Circular Error Probable) and will use Navic guidance to avoid dependence on foreign agencies such as GPS.
In 2019, the Indian army inducted the Excalibur, an American GPS-guided shell, with a range of 40 km, and placed additional orders in 2020 following the Galwan clash.
While India already has capability in designing and manufacturing state-of-the-art artillery guns, indigenous smart ammunition will boost the Indian Army’s self-reliance in the artillery sector.
Significance of smart ammunition
The 155mm howitzers have been serving as the primary weapons of artillery forces in several countries for decades. These guns offer extended range and lethal warheads compared to small-calibre howitzers.
Most 155mm howitzers boast ranges between 38 km-42 km. However, a major limitation of traditional artillery shells is accuracy.
If a gun fires an ammunition at its maximum range, the shell will fall somewhere within a large radius of 300 metres to 500 metres. This measurement is called CEP (Circular Error Probable).
To overcome this limitation, many countries are actively engaged in the development of Smart Ammunition with satellite guidance to enable precision strikes. While satellite guidance helps shells to reach their targets, fins and canards control their trajectory to hit targets at a CEP of 10 metres, enabling precision strikes on most military targets.
While howitzers require firing a large number of unguided shells to hit enemy forces in the target area, precision strike capability with smart ammunition offers shoot-and-scoot capability to howitzers. This enables quickly destroying targets with fewer shells and changing position before enemy counter-battery radars determine their location, enhancing safety for artillery forces.
IIT Madras ramjet powered shell
IIT Madras is also engaged in the development of a ramjet-propelled guided artillery shell. Adding an air-breathing ramjet propulsion enables shells to achieve extended ranges of at least 20 percent. The ramjet shell can be fired from all 155mm howitzers in the Indian Army’s inventory.
If fired from 39 calibre howitzers such as Bofors, the range will be 53 km. If fired from Dhanush (45 cal), K9 Vajra (52 cal), and ATAGS (52 cal), ranges will be 61 km, 68 km, and 78 km, respectively.
The United States is also developing a ramjet-powered shell named Ramjet 155 with an estimated range of over 70 km.
Conclusion
The collaboration between IIT Madras and Munitions India Limited marks a pivotal advancement in artillery technology for the Indian army. Through the development of indigenous smart ammunition, including the innovative ramjet-powered shell, India is poised to enhance its self-reliance and military capabilities significantly. As nations worldwide explore similar advancements, the future of artillery warfare promises increased precision, extended ranges, and heightened effectiveness on the battlefield.
