Women Officers in Regiment of Artillery

April 8, 2023

In a historic move, the Indian Army is set to commission its first lot of women officers in the artillery regiments later this month. The Officers’ Training Academy (OTA) in Chennai will see these women officers pass out after receiving training to handle howitzers and rocket systems. This development comes after women officers have been serving in the Indian Air Force (IAF) and Indian Navy for several years.

Training and Commissioning of Women Officers

The women officers who pass out of OTA this month will be commissioned into units like air defence, signals, engineers, aviation, ASC, and ordnance. Several of them are expected to be inducted into the Regiment of Artillery for the first time. However, they will first serve in the units they are assigned to and then undergo artillery-specific courses, which will begin with gunnery training on the 105mm Indian field guns.

Women in Combat Arms

The Indian Army still does not allow women officers to join the main combat arms. However, artillery is designated as a ‘combat-support arm’, and it is deployed along the unresolved volatile borders with both China and Pakistan. The Regiment of Artillery has over 280 units that handle a variety of howitzers, guns, and multiple-launch rocket systems. The induction of women officers in this unit is a significant step towards gender equality in the Indian Army.

Range of Guns in Artillery Regiments

The artillery regiments have a wide range of guns, from the 105mm field guns to the new M-777 ultra-light howitzers and K-9 Vajra self-propelled tracked guns. The indigenous Pinaka multi-launch rocket systems, as well as similar Russian-origin Smerch and Grad units, are also part of the artillery. The Bofors howitzers, which are a type of gun used in the artillery regiments, have historical significance.

Significance of Dhanush and Sharang Guns

In addition to the Bofors howitzers, the artillery regiments also have Dhanush and Sharang guns. The Dhanush gun is a modified version of the Bofors howitzer, and it has been designed and manufactured in India. The Sharang gun, on the other hand, is an upgraded version of the 130mm M-46 field gun.

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