Were Russian shells good enough?

By Atul Aneja

NEW DELHI, MARCH 18. The reference to the Rs. 150-crore Krasnopol artillery shells contract in the Tehelka tapes has indicated that the deal was not about corruption alone; the quality of the shells may also have been compromised on.

If true, this would be unprecedented as even in the Bofors scandal the quality of the gun was never questioned. In fact, the 155 mm Bofors howitzer proved its merit adequately during the Kargil war. The Krasnopol is a Russian laser-guided high accuracy shell, meant for the Bofors howitzer. According to its manufacturers, it can be used for tearing apart armoured attacks and also destroying bunkers, even in high-altitude areas.

According to the Tehelka tapes, the shells failed in the trials, but were still pushed into service. A middleman, Maj. S.J. Singh (retd.) played a key role in this. Major Singh claimed in the ``expose'' that they failed in five out of six tests, and yet the procurement of 5,000 shells was allegedly pushed through.

Highly-placed Government sources said the trials were first carried out in the Rajasthan deserts in 1997. According to Mr. Arkady Shipunov, a member of the Russian Academy of Sciences and who published an article in the Russian Defence Trade Journal, three shells were successfully fired in June 1999 in the Rajasthan deserts. In other words, the performance of the shells in the plains has not been particularly questioned.

Problems arose during the high-altitude tests. In March 1999, two shells were unsuccessfully fired in the Kargil highland ranges, Mr. Shipunov said. Government sources added that two shells were also fired during the Kargil war without any significant improvement in results.

Nevertheless, India signed a contract in June 1999, but on the condition that the agreement would come into effect only after the shells underwent comprehensive tests at heights up to 4,500 m, Mr. Shipunov said. In other words, this procurement, though finalised, was linked to the success of the high-altitude tests.

The Russian side decided to carry out more tests after making the required changes in the shells, as well as the firing tables. It claimed that the shell propellant was changed. Instead of the NATO standard fuel, a Russian propellant was used.

The tests were carried out in Jammu and Kashmir in September- October 1999 in the presence of representatives of the Army's Weapon and Equipment Directorate. Targets were apparently positioned at various distances between 2.5 and 7 km and at elevations of 500 to 1,000 m above the gun positions.

The Russian side claimed that the revised tests were successful. However, a section of the Defence Ministry rejected this view.

Nevertheless, the consignment of Krasnopol shells arrived from Russia. But they have not yet been handed over to troops in high- altitude areas, the sources said. Besides, the Russian side had not delivered the training simulators, which are indispensable as firing of live shells during training is prohibitively expensive.

Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Section  : Front Page
Previous : Sonia calls for 'all-out war'
Next     : BJP has become 'Congressised': RSS