On 16th March 2021, Indian Army decommissioned 2 of its longest serving Artillery – 130mm Self Propelled M-46 Catapult Guns and the 160mm Tampella Mortars, after making a customary firing of their last salvos in Mahajan Field Firing Range. The decommissioning event saw the presence of Director General Artillery, Lieutenant General K Ravi Prasad.
130mm Catapult:
i.It is a hybrid Self-propelled gun developed by DRDO, by merging 2 existing weapons systems – India’s Vijayanta tank & Russian 130mm M-46 field gun.
ii.Fire Range – 27 Km
iii.Year of Induction – 1981.
iv.It was deployed in the India-Pakistan border to cater the urgent need of a Mobile Artillery gun system, after 1965 & 1971 wars.
160mm Tampella Mortars:
- Developed by Israel.
- Fire Range – 9.6 Km
- Inducted into the Army after the 1962 Indo-China War.
- Served in Line of Control – Leepa valley and the Hajipir Bowl
Recent Related News:
i.DRDO & Indian Army Developed India’s 1st Indigenous Machine Pistol ASMI; RLG systems handed over to Indian Navy.
ii.Indian Army to get Indigenous Carbines, Anti Air Systems; MoD cancels Import.
India’s Land Boundary:
India shares land boundaries with 7 countries – Bangladesh, China, Pakistan, Nepal, Myanmar, Bhutan & Afghanistan.
Line of Control – India & Pakistan (at Jammu & Kashmir)
Line of Actual Control – India & China
Radcliffe Line – India & Pakistan (at Punjab)
About Indian Army:
The President of India is the Supreme Commander of the Indian Armed Force.
Chief of Defence Staff – Bipin Rawat
Chief of Indian Army – Manoj Mukund Naravane
Motto – “Service Before Self”
