Garuda 105

Garuda 105, an ultra light light weight mobile gun system was displayed by Bharat Forge, a subsidiary of Kalyani Group, based on an indigenous design. Garuda 105 mounted on a light tactical vehicle, Bharat-52, 155mm/39cal ULH and Truck mounted 155mm/39cal ULH are four Artillery systems which are been tested by the Indian Army. At a gross weight of one ton (compared to three tons for other, average artillery pieces) the Indian Garuda 105 incorporates soft recoil technology that enables it to mount on standard tactical vehicles such as HMMWV or other prime movers. The system is mounted on a TATA 4×4 and can also be mounted on a Humvee. It is based on an all terrain vehicle with mountainous terrain manoeuverability, and adaptable for fitment on any current in-service vehicle.

While a normal 105 gun is 3200 kilos, Bharat Forge built a gun that is 900 kilos and this can be mounted on a pick-up truck (Technology is called Hybrid Recoil). Garuda 105 is ultra-light gun system which utilizes the high end Soft Recoil Technology. This allows the weapon (gun) to be placed on light vehicles and nonstandard platforms, including aircraft and coastal and river patrol watercraft. This high tech system which was developed and manufactured in a record time of 08 months is a force multiplier for the forward forces and will prove to be a complete game changer in the realm of weapon system.

The group led by flagship Bharat Forge is ready with artillery equipment that the Indian defence forces will soon start testing. This put it nicely in place to take advantage of the Narendra Modi government's initiative to encourage greater private participation in the defence sector. A lot of emphasis on local manufacturing of defence products has been put by the current government. Thus, companies who have taken defence seriously, are now production-ready.

The Kalyani Garuda 105 light gun based on the Mandus Hawkeye. The vehicle and the gun is OFB`s, only the recoil system is of Kalyani. It is not yet inducted into the mountain formations. They are well tested and, being mounted on pickup trucks, seem to be perfect for shoot and scoot, giving opposing fire no time to zero in. The existing mountain guns (105 IFG) are well thought of with excellent range and will obviously remain in service for a long time but they need to be dug in after being towed into place, making them sitting ducks for artillery locating radars. The Kalyani Garuda will make an excellent insurance policy.