| 75/24 Pack Howitzer | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Type | Howitzer |
| Place of origin | India |
| Service history | |
| Used by | India |
| Production history | |
| Designer | ARDE |
| Manufacturer | Ordnance Factory Board |
| Specifications | |
| Caliber | 75 mm (3.0 in) |
The 75/24 Pack Howitzer (75/24 Indian Mountain Gun) is a towed howitzer developed in India and saw extensive use in the Indian Army.
The circumstances leading to the defeat during the Sino-Indian War led to a lot of introspection. The difficulties faced in the deployment of artillery on the heights led to the army to develop a light mountain gun. This programme was led by Brigadier Gurdial Singh and it delivered quick results. [1] [2]
By 1963, the first prototypes of the 75/24 mountain pack howitzer had been developed by the Armament Research & Development Establishment (ARDE) and other Ordnance Factories based on a Canadian design. [3] [4] The Solid State Physics Laboratory, Delhi was involved in the development of the VT fuze of the howitzer. [5] This thus became the country’s first indigenously made artillery gun. [6] The Gun Carriage Factory Jabalpur started manufacture of the guns in 1968. [7]
The gun is light weight and can be dis-assembled into multiple units and transported by mules in mountains as well as carried by helicopters. It weighs 983 kg and could fire up to a maximum range of 11,104 metres. [6]
The gun entered service in the Indian Army in the late 1960s and saw extensive use in the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971. [8] The last battle it saw action in was the Kargil War. [9]
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