Bhim T-6
Both the 105mm Abbot and 130mm Catapult M-46 self-propelled howitzers are are being phased out from active service due to age and mechanical problems. A self-propelled artillery competition -- pitting the Celsius (Bofors) FH-77AD against the Bhim SP System [with the Denel LIW T-6] -- is underway to replace these systems as part of its Field Artillery Rationalization Plan.
The main advantages that the Celsius FH-77AD offers over the Denel T-6 is that it is based on a proven and easy to maintain 6X6 Volvo truck chassis. Compared with full-tracked self-propelled artillery system, the 6x6 FH-77 BD would have a number of advantages, including greater strategic mobility and lower procurement and life-cycle costs.
The new Denel T-6 vehicle is called the Bhim after a hero from Indian folklore (Bhima). The turret has ammunition-loading hatches on the right and left, and a conveyor belt may be extended from either of these hatches for ammunition loading or direct feeding of the gun from a ground pile. There are two hatches on the roof of the turret. The vehicle is equipped with GPS and a fire control computer for direct laying of the gun, or firing at a target where the location is known.
The Bhim system has achieved a sustained rate of fire of 116 rounds at a desert firing range in Pokhran in western India. The cost of procuring 520 such howitzers eventually is estimated at $972 million. The Arjun tank chassis to be used by the Bhim with the Denel T-6 turret, in contrast, has yet to enter full service. The MoD has approved building 120 Arjuns, but with arrival of the Russian T-90 main battle tank, the Arjun chassis could be diverted to Bhim. The Bhim is favored to win the Indian SP Howitzer competition, primarily due to the potential for domestic production. However, the first examples will likely not see military service until at least 2004.
