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M46S

The M46S is the Soviet 130mm upgraded to 155mm 45 cal towed gun. The upgrade is provided to the Indian Army by Soltam Sytems.

In 2000 Soltam Systems Ltd. won a $47.5 million contract to upgrade 180 artillery pieces of the Indian Army following a tender process which lasted six years and involved competition from French, Swedish, Czech an South African companies. The project is expected to be completed in two years and will be done in Israel. A decision on an option for the upgrading of an additional 220-250 artillery pieces will be made by Indian officials later. According to the contract, Soltam will upgrade Russian-made M-46 130 mm field artillery pieces into 155 mm guns similar to the ones used by the Israel Defense Forces. The changes to the pieces involve the replacing of the gun tubes and the firing mechanisms. The upgraded guns will have six-meter tubes and ranges of up to 39 kilometers. The Indian Army tender was delayed because of variations in the concepts presented to the Indian Defense Ministry by competing companies. Only Soltam offered to retain the original structure of the artillery pieces. India is one of the largest users of 130 mm artillery in the world and it was agreed that if the option for further upgrades is implemented, Soltam will cooperate with local Indian industry in the upgrades and transfer know-how for the building of gun-tubes there.