India begins transferring artillery to the line of de facto control in East Ladakh
India has begun the transfer of the latest artillery systems to the line of de facto control with China in East Ladakh. According to the Indian edition of the Times of India, citing military sources, we are talking about light M-777 howitzers.
The Indian military is transferring the M-777 ultralight howitzers purchased from the United States to East Ladakh. The transfer is carried out by Chinook helicopters. At the moment, India has received half of the ordered 145 M-777 guns, how many of them will eventually be transferred to the line of actual control is unknown, but according to the commander of the artillery of the Indian Armed Forces, Lieutenant General T.K. Chawla, three regiments of howitzers are deployed along the border with China.
The M777 is an American field towed howitzer of 155 mm caliber. The howitzer weighs only 4218 kg, which allows it to be transported on a helicopter suspension. The firing range for a conventional projectile is 24,7 km, for special ones, including the Excalibur-guided projectiles, from 30 to 40 km.
At the same time, the Indian military intends to deploy along the line of actual control and heavy artillery systems, including 155-mm self-propelled howitzers K-9 Vajra (South Korean K9 Thunder), but they have to be transported along the roads built in this area over the past two of the year.
As stated in the Indian Ministry of Defense, the deployment of additional weapons is taking place against the background of a lack of progress in negotiations on the withdrawal from the line of de facto control of Chinese troops.
Earlier it was reported that China created a new military area in East Ladakh with mobile camps for personnel, shelters for equipment and a runway for aviation.
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