SOURCE: IDRW.ORG.
The Indian Army is moving forward with plans to extend the service life of its SMERCH ammunition system, in collaboration with private Indian vendors. This initiative is part of the Army’s broader efforts to ensure the continued operational readiness of its artillery systems while concurrently developing advanced alternatives to replace older systems.
The SMERCH, a Russian-made multiple rocket launcher system, is one of the core elements of India’s artillery capabilities, but with its ammunition nearing the end of its service life, the Indian Army has set in motion a process to extend the operational life of the ammunition.
SMERCH Ammunition Variants
The Indian Army currently uses several variants of the SMERCH ammunition, which include:
- 300mm 9M55S Fuel Air Explosive (FAE) Warhead – A specialized warhead designed to release a cloud of fuel that ignites, creating a massive blast wave capable of destroying personnel and light equipment over a large area.
- 300mm 9M55F High Explosive (HE) Fragmentation Warhead (SWH-70 km) – A warhead designed for general-purpose fragmentation, with a range of 70 kilometers, intended for use against enemy troops, vehicles, and installations.
- 300mm 9M528 High Explosive (HE) Fragmentation Warhead (SWH-90 km) – Another HE fragmentation warhead variant with a slightly extended range of 90 kilometers, offering more standoff capability for the launcher.
- 300mm 9M55K Cluster Warhead – A cluster munition designed to deploy sub-munitions over a wide area, aimed at enemy troops and vehicles, capable of engaging multiple targets simultaneously.
These munitions are critical for India’s artillery forces, providing long-range, heavy firepower against various target sets. However, as with all military systems, ammunition has a finite shelf life. To ensure the SMERCH system remains viable in the coming years, the Indian Army has initiated life extension procedures for these ammunition variants.
The process of extending the life of SMERCH ammunition involves a series of checks, refurbishments, and upgrades to restore the munition’s functionality and safety. Life extension programs (LEP) are typically designed to double the service life of an ammunition system, which means that the current SMERCH ammunition could be extended for another 10-15 years, depending on the success of the refurbishing and testing processes.
In this context, the Indian Army has turned to private Indian vendors to handle the life extension process. The involvement of private players in the defense sector is an essential part of India’s Atmanirbhar Bharat (Self-reliant India) initiative, aiming to reduce dependence on foreign suppliers while boosting the capabilities of domestic defense industries. By partnering with Indian vendors, the Indian Army is looking to ensure high-quality, cost-effective solutions for extending the life of the SMERCH ammunition while simultaneously fostering the growth of India’s defense sector.
The life extension will focus on ensuring that the ammunition remains safe and reliable for use in combat, which will likely involve activities such as reconditioning, reloading, and enhancing the warhead’s effectiveness where necessary.
While the life extension of the SMERCH ammunition will help maintain the Indian Army’s artillery capabilities in the short term, India is also working on replacing the SMERCH system with the more advanced Pinaka Guided Rocket System. The Pinaka system, currently under development by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), is set to offer longer-range precision strike capabilities, with a range of 120 km, 150 km, and even 200 km in its future variants.
NOTE : Article cannot be reproduced without written permission of idrw.org in any form even for YouTube Videos to avoid Copy right strikes. Websites doing illegal reproductions will get DMCA and Legal Notices.