China Arms Pakistan With ‘Nuclear-Capable’ Howitzers That Can ‘Devastate’ Indian Cities Close To Its Border

xizhimen

Experienced member
Messages
7,391
Reactions
384
Nation of residence
China
Nation of origin
China

China Arms Pakistan With ‘Nuclear-Capable’ Howitzers That Can ‘Devastate’ Indian Cities Close To Its Border​

ByNitin J Ticku

January 28, 2022

China has been arming Pakistan’s military in a bid to challenge Indian military dominance in the region. Beijing has supplied cutting-edge equipment to Islamabad which many experts see as a strategy to keep New Delhi occupied and diverted.

Islamabad recently acquired the first batch of Chinese-made vehicle-mounted SH-15 howitzers to counter the Indian K-9 Vajra howitzers, reported Hindustan Times. This export from Beijing is expected to boost Pakistan’s firepower against India as the two neighbors remain vigilant against one another at the heavily militarized Line of Control (LoC).

Interestingly, after a successful deployment in Ladakh, the Indian Army is also set to acquire 200 more K9 Vajra (Thunder) howitzers, as previously reported by the EurAsian Times.

Pakistan’s army currently uses the M109A5, a tracked self-propelled howitzer made by the United States, although the country plans to upgrade its artillery force with new wheeled artillery weapons.

At the height of tensions with India in 2019, the Pakistan Army had signed a contract with China Northern Industries Corporation (NORINCO) to purchase SH-15 Howitzer artillery guns.

Pakistan had then announced that it intends to buy 236 of these artillery pieces with transfer-of-technology clauses and station them along the Line of Control.


According to an earlier report by the EurAsian Times – the Sh-15 Howitzer could be made nuclear-capable if Pakistan’s attempts to miniaturize its nuclear weapons are successful.

The SH-15 howitzer made an appearance at Pakistan’s 10th International Defence Exhibition and Seminar in Karachi. Only one picture of the artillery gun appeared which confirmed that Pakistan was in process of acquiring the Chinese artillery guns.

A leaked picture of the trials was published in Chinese magazines. Pakistan was believed to have ordered at least 52 SH-15, enough for three regiments of the artillery.

SH-15 is an ideal ‘shoot and scoot’ artillery weapon for the use of nuclear shells. Pakistan has been working on the miniaturization of nuclear weapons since 1984. The US nuclear artillery shell W-48 uses 10kg high-density alpha-plutonium with a sphere of barely 54mm.

Pakistan Acquires Sh-15 "Nuclear-Capable" Howitzer Artillery Guns From China


Former Pakistani president Pervez Musharraf had reportedly disclosed to a top US diplomat that Islamabad had created a minuscule nuclear warhead in the latter half of 2011. Such a warhead, if fitted in a 155 mm shell with a stated range of 53 km, could be devastating for cities close to the Pakistan border.

Though India and Pakistan had signed a ceasefire which has largely been followed by both sides, India accuses the Pakistani army of supporting militants wanting to infiltrate and incite violence in Jammu and Kashmir.

Beijing is also supplying Pakistan with NORINCO AR-1 300 mm multi-barrel rocket launchers. The overall contract value is estimated to be around $512 million, stated Hindustan Times.


This development comes shortly after Pakistan inducted the largest and most advanced stealth frigate acquired from China, named PNS Tughril as previously reported by the EurAsian Times.

It could be believed that the objective behind this shipment is to increase Pakistani army firepower along the western border, particularly to heat up the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir which could further lead to the current truce breaking down.

China has itself been embroiled in a border conflict with India along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) which is in its second winter now.



M777 howitzer - Wikipedia
India has also acquired American ultra-light M777 Howitzers – Wikipedia

Pakistan’s SH-15 and Indian K9 Vajra Howitzer

The SH15 is a Chinese-made wheeled self-propelled howitzer with a front-mounted armored cabin and a rear-mounted 155 mm gun-howitzer. Small weapons fire and artillery shell splinters are not a problem for this new howitzer. The front of the crew cab includes two massive bulletproof glasses and each side has two doors.

With conventional ammo, the SH15 has a maximum range of 20 kilometers and 53 kilometers with a rocket-assisted artillery projectile. A crew of five people may operate this artillery truck. The vehicle will have a maximum weight of 22 tons, according to military officials.

A computerized fire control system, as well as navigation, location, and targeting systems, are installed on the SH-15. The artillery command vehicle provides target information to the vehicle. For self-defense, a 12.7 mm heavy machine gun can be installed on the roof.

This artillery system is extremely mobile and can deploy across vast distances on its own. Most medium cargo planes can transport it. It is light enough to be transported by a Y-9 or comparable military transport aircraft, giving it a more versatile alternative for expanding rapid response teams.

The South-Korean K-9 Vajra, on the other hand, is also a mobile howitzer like the SH-15 but appears like a Tank and is considered one of the most powerful howitzers in the world today.

It has its own propulsion system for traveling towards its firing station and can shell enemy locations from afar. A K9 Vajra can shoot shells over 50 kilometers and weighs 50 tons.

K9 Vajra
K9 VAJRA 155mm/52 caliber Tracked Self-Propelled Howitzer flagged off by India’s CoAS
An automatic loading system loads the projectiles into the ammunition tray, and they are ready to fire. The K9 Thunder can shoot within 30 seconds while in standby mode, or 60 seconds while moving.

All-welded steel armor protects the K-9’s crew from 14.5 mm armor-piercing bullets, 152 mm shell fragments, and anti-personnel mines, as well as offering extensive nuclear, biological, and chemical protection.

The Multiple Rounds Simultaneous Impact (MRSI) mode allows the K9 to fire its ammunition (Multiple Rounds Simultaneous Impact). The K9 can fire three shells in less than 15 seconds in MRSI mode — one every 5 seconds — each with a distinct trajectory so that they all reach their target at the same time.

China’s Power Move Against India

The provision of conventional weapon systems, fighter aircraft, destroyers, and even the willingness to provide the DF-17 hypersonic missile to counter India’s most recent acquisition, the S-400 air defense system, are all part of Beijing’s long-term strategy to keep Rawalpindi GHQ in a state of perpetual confrontation with India, according to Hindustan Times.

This tactic has already paid off for the Chinese dictatorship, as it pushes India to maintain vigilance on its western border with a power that punches far above its weight in international fora, as well as in military and nuclear parity.

In order to keep Pakistan under its wing for strategic reasons and to gain access to the Arabian Sea, China has constantly supplied arms to Rawalpindi.

It frequently supports Pakistan in the UN over Kashmir and vetoes any attempt by the UN Security Council to label known pan-Islamic extremist groups or their leaders as terrorists.

 
Last edited by a moderator:

Saithan

Experienced member
Denmark Correspondent
Messages
8,536
Reactions
33 19,488
Nation of residence
Denmark
Nation of origin
Turkey
They look pretty nice, could you please share their specifications as well :)
 

xizhimen

Experienced member
Messages
7,391
Reactions
384
Nation of residence
China
Nation of origin
China

China supplies mounted howitzers to Pakistan to maintain arms parity with India

Over the past decades, Pakistan has been able to punch far beyond its weight category with China doing the heavy lifting against India, be it in arms supply or in multilateral arms control regimes.

Published on Jan 27, 2022 11:05 AM IST
ByShishir Gupta, Hindustan Times, New Delhi

In a move that ensures that Pakistan continues to remain locked up in confrontation with India, Islamabad has received first batch of Chinese manufactured vehicle mounted howitzers to counter the Indian K-9 Vajra howitzers. Beijing is also supplying NORINCO AR-1 300 mm multi barrel rocket launchers to Rawalpindi so that the Pakistan Army has a reply to Indian rocket launchers. The total contract worth is around USD 512 million.

The supply of conventional weapon systems, fighter aircraft, destroyers and even the inclination to give DF-17 hypersonic missile to counter India’s latest acquisition, the S-400 air defence system, are all part of Beijing long strategy to keep Rawalpindi GHQ in a state of permanent confrontation with India. This strategy has paid dividends to Beijing regime in the past as forces India to remain alert on its western border with a power that boxes much above its weight category due to heavy lift from China, be it in international fora or in military or nuclear parity. The role played by Beijing in developing Pakistan into a nuclear state along with the covert supply of delivery systems since 1990s is all well documented.

According to reports, Pakistan in 2019 signed a contract with Chinese arms major NORINCO to supply 236 SH-15 155 mm vehicle mounted howitzers apart from AR-1 heavy rocket launchers. In addition to artillery, the contract also includes supply and technology transfer for various ammunition including extended range artillery shells and guided artillery shells with the range of 53 kilometers. Clearly, this supply is to boost the firepower of Pakistan army all along the western border, specially to heat up the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir in case the existing ceasefire breaks down or to send a message on Kashmir.

The reported supply of DF-17 mobile, solid fueled medium range ballistic missile by China to Pakistan is to pump up Rawalpindi’s ballistic missile system as the hypersonic missile is difficult to track by most existing radars and equally difficult to engage by existing surface to air missile systems including S-400 system. Mounted on a hypersonic glide vehicle, the DF-17 is said to have a combination of maneuverability and high speed that poses significant challenges to conventional missile defence. China has tested the DF-17 missile at least nine times since 2014 and is said to have 1950 km range with a speed of at least five times that of sound or Mach 5.

While India also tested its scramjet powered Hypersonic Technology Demonstrator Cruise Vehicle (HSTDV) on September 7, 2020 for launch of hypersonic missiles, the Chinese supply will clearly force Defence Research and Development Organization to speed up the indigenous project.

Keeping Pakistan under its wing for strategic purposes and reach to Arabian Sea, China has not only supplied arms to Rawalpindi but has played a spoiler to India’s entry into Nuclear Suppliers Group and has gone to the extent of trying innocent Indians working in Afghanistan listed as global terrorists before the 1267 committee. It routinely sides with Pakistan in the UN over Kashmir and vetoes any attempt to list known pan-Islamic jihadi groups or their leaders as terrorists by the UNSC.

 

Follow us on social media

Top Bottom