On its 200th Gunners Day, the Regiment of Artillery is moving beyond the traditional gun-and-shell battlefield, combining 155mm systems with drones, sensors, loitering munitions, rockets and digital networks
From mountain guns dragged into some of the most inhospitable terrain to precision weapons guided by drones and digital networks, the Indian Army’s Regiment of Artillery has undergone a transformation that mirrors the changing character of warfare.
As the Gunners observe their 200th Gunners Day on September 28, 2026, the occasion marks not merely a celebration of military heritage but a significant transition in the way artillery is organised, equipped and employed.
The modern lineage of the Regiment dates back to September 28, 1827, when 5 (Bombay) Mountain Battery, equipped with 2.5-inch guns, was raised. The battery has remained in continuous service and its raising day became Gunners Day.
Nearly two centuries later, the gun remains central to the artilleryman’s role. But it is increasingly only one part of a much larger architecture of firepower.
From the battlefield of the 19th century to the Arm of Decision
Artillery in the Indian subcontinent predates the modern Regiment by several centuries. It was used in India as early as the 14th century and subsequently became an important component of the armies of the Mughals, Marathas, Hyder Ali, Tipu Sultan and Maharaja Ranjit Singh.
After Independence, artillery units fought in the major conflicts of 1947-48, 1962, 1965, 1971 and 1999, besides participating in counter-insurgency operations and missions abroad. The Army has described artillery as an “Arm of Decision”, reflecting its continuing importance as a source of concentrated firepower. But few battlefields demonstrated the importance of artillery as dramatically as Kargil in 1999.
Kargil: When the guns changed the battle
At extreme altitude, where infantry assaults had to negotiate steep ridgelines and exposed positions, artillery provided the firepower required to suppress and destroy enemy positions.
The Bofors 155mm guns became closely associated with the Indian Army’s artillery campaign during Operation Vijay, firing thousands of rounds in support of troops fighting to recapture the heights.
The legacy of that contribution was later formally recognised when Point 5140 in the Dras sector was named “Gun Hill” in honour of the artillery units that played a pivotal role in its capture. The Indian Army has continued to commemorate the artillery connection to the battle, including a 2025 expedition to Gun Hill involving artillery veterans and serving personnel from units associated with the Kargil fighting.
Kargil demonstrated the destructive potential of massed artillery fire. The battlefield emerging today demands something more: speed, precision, mobility and the ability to connect sensors to shooters.
Operation Sindoor: The battlefield gets networked
The contemporary relevance of artillery was again visible during Operation Sindoor in May 2025. During the escalation, Pakistan used mortars and heavy-calibre artillery across several sectors along the Line of Control, including Kupwara, Baramulla, Uri, Poonch, Mendhar and Rajouri. The Indian government said Indian forces responded to bring the firing to a halt.
But Operation Sindoor also highlighted a broader transformation in warfare. The operation involved an ecosystem of drones, counter-drone systems, surveillance, electronic warfare and layered air defence, illustrating how modern combat increasingly depends on multiple systems operating together rather than individual weapon platforms functioning in isolation.
The old guns give way to 155mm firepower
The artillery modernisation programme has therefore focused heavily on 155mm systems, mobility, range, accuracy and faster engagement. The induction of the M777 Ultra-Light Howitzer, K9 Vajra-T and Dhanush, alongside indigenous systems, has progressively changed the Army’s artillery inventory.
The M777 gave the Army an ultra-light 155mm gun capable of being airlifted into difficult terrain. The K9 Vajra-T brought a tracked, self-propelled artillery capability with high mobility and the ability to operate in demanding terrain, including high-altitude areas. The next major step is the 155mm/52-calibre Advanced Towed Artillery Gun System, or ATAGS.
In March 2025, the Defence Ministry signed contracts worth about Rs 6,900 crore with Bharat Forge and Tata Advanced Systems for ATAGS and 6×6 high-mobility gun-towing vehicles. The government said the ATAGS would replace vintage and smaller-calibre guns and enhance the Army’s long-range precision firepower.
This is not simply a change of gun.
It is a change in the philosophy of artillery — towards longer reach, greater mobility and precision, backed increasingly by indigenous technology. Made in India becomes part of the gun line. The artillery transformation is also closely linked to the expansion of India’s domestic defence industry.
The ATAGS contract marked a significant milestone as the Army’s first major procurement of towed guns from the private sector, with Bharat Forge supplying the gun system and Tata Advanced Systems the high-mobility vehicles.
The K9 Vajra-T programme has similarly evolved into a major indigenous manufacturing effort.
In December 2024, the Defence Ministry signed a Rs 7,628.70-crore contract with Larsen & Toubro for additional 155mm/52-calibre K9 Vajra-T self-propelled tracked artillery guns under the Buy (Indian) category. The government said the system would enhance long-range precision firepower and operate in all terrains, including high-altitude areas.
The result is a more diversified artillery ecosystem, increasingly involving Indian design, manufacturing, integration and supply chains. The gunner is becoming a sensor operator too. The most important change, however, is happening beyond the gun itself. Modern artillery increasingly operates within a sensor-to-shooter architecture.
The target may first be detected by a UAV, surveillance system, radar or electro-optical sensor. Its coordinates can then be transmitted digitally to the appropriate weapon system, allowing a fire mission to be planned and executed with greater speed and precision.
This changes the profile of the artilleryman. The gunner of the past was primarily associated with gun positions, trajectories and fire plans. The gunner of the future must operate within a battlefield ecosystem of drones, surveillance systems, digital communications, precision ammunition, electronic warfare and artificial intelligence-enabled decision support.
In other words, the artilleryman is no longer looking only through the sight of a gun. He is increasingly looking at the battlefield through a network.
From artillery regiments to Shaktibaan and Divyastra
The Army’s organisational restructuring reflects this changing battlefield. The emergence of Shaktibaan artillery regiments and Divyastra batteries is part of the Army’s broader move towards technology-enabled and future-ready formations. The Army has also been pursuing Rudra brigades, Bhairav battalions and other specialised formations as part of its wider transformation.
The new artillery architecture goes beyond conventional tube artillery. At the 2026 Republic Day display, the Army showcased systems associated with Shaktibaan and Divyastra, including swarm drones, tethered drone systems, tactical UAVs and loitering munitions, alongside ATAGS and Dhanush.
Loitering munitions add a new dimension
The transformation has now moved into the procurement phase as well. The Defence Acquisition Council has cleared procurement of loitering munition systems for artillery regiments, alongside other long-range precision firepower capabilities.
The Army’s emerging concept combines conventional artillery with unmanned systems and precision strike assets, giving commanders additional options to engage targets beyond the traditional gun line. This represents an important evolution.
A conventional artillery shell travels towards a target after being fired. A loitering munition can remain airborne, search an area and engage an identified target — bringing surveillance and strike closer together in a single system.
The distinction between “sensor” and “shooter” is therefore becoming increasingly blurred. The battlefield equation is changing. For generations, the artilleryman’s battlefield equation revolved around the gun, the ammunition, the target and the fire-control solution.
The future equation is much broader.
Who sees the target first?
Who can transmit its location fastest?
Who can select the right weapon?
Who can strike with the required precision?
And who can assess the effect and act again?
These questions are becoming as important as the range of a gun.
The Army’s modernisation efforts have consequently included UAVs, surveillance and target-acquisition systems, radars, electro-optical sensors, counter-UAS systems, precision-guided ammunition and other emerging technologies.
This is artillery moving from a platform-centric model towards a network-centric model. The gun is not disappearing. Yet the transformation does not mean that conventional artillery is becoming obsolete. Quite the opposite.
155mm guns, self-propelled artillery, rockets and precision ammunition remain fundamental components of land warfare. What is changing is the ecosystem around them. The gun is increasingly being connected to a web of drones, sensors, radars, digital command-and-control systems, rockets, loitering munitions and precision weapons.
That makes the modern Regiment of Artillery less a collection of guns and more a layered fire-support network.
Entering the third century
The bicentenary moment therefore comes as the Regiment stands between two eras. One is represented by the mountain guns of 1827 and the massed artillery barrages of the 20th century. The other is represented by ATAGS, K9 Vajra-T, Dhanush, Pinaka, drones, loitering munitions, surveillance systems and digital networks.
The legacy has not been discarded. It is being redesigned.
From mountain guns to Bofors; from Bofors to indigenous 155mm systems; and from conventional gun lines to an increasingly connected network of sensors, shooters and unmanned systems, the Regiment of Artillery is entering its third century with a battlefield role that is broader than ever before.
The fundamental mission, however, remains unchanged: deliver firepower where it is needed. What has changed is how the target is found, how quickly the decision is taken, what weapon is selected and how precisely the desired effect is delivered.
Two centuries after 5 (Bombay) Mountain Battery was raised, the Gunners are carrying that legacy into a battlefield where the next shot may begin not with a gunner looking through a sight, but with a drone finding a target hundreds of kilometres away.
“Sarvatra Izzat-O-Iqbal” — Everywhere with Honour and Glory.
