Article by Debalina Ghoshal
Pakistan has deployed a large number of Chinese-made SH-15 guns near the Indian border, which calls for a comprehensive understanding of Pakistan’s artillery strategy post Op Sindoor. Artillery has proved conducive not only for India but also for Pakistan during Op Sindoor. These weapons were used by Pakistan for targeting civilian infrastructure near border regions, disrupting civilian lives. Pakistan is moving towards achieving rapid fire power and long-range capability with new advanced artillery systems like the SH-15.
Pakistan has deployed around 250 Chinese-made SH-15 wheeled self-propelled howitzers along its eastern border facing India. These 155mm artillery systems significantly upgrade Islamabad’s long-range conventional and mobile strike capabilities. Originally called the PCL-181, a 155 mm self-propelled howitzer. The PCL-181 self-propelled howitzer is manufactured by the Chinese state-owned defence corporation NORINCO (China North Industries Group Corporation Limited). The SH-15 guns are nuclear-capable, and hence, such developments near the border are noteworthy. Pakistan also possesses other tactical nuclear weapons (TNWs), which are the Nasr fired from multi-launch rocket systems (MLRS). This deployment of SH-15 systems is to ensure parity in firepower capabilities between India and Pakistan to strengthen Pakistan’s border security. Nuclear-capable systems invite worrisome concerns that despite the nuances of Op Sindoor, Pakistan refuses to heighten the nuclear threshold, making battlefield equations more complex.
Given Pakistan’s plutonium capability, miniaturising nuclear warheads in 155mm may not be a cumbersome task. Linear implosion systems allow nuclear warheads to fit into narrow diameters with the help of a cylindrical plutonium core. Pakistan may have the capability for this technology, considering that the country has tested multiple independently targetable re-entry vehicles (MIRVs) on their Ababeel missile. MIRVs also require nuclear warhead miniaturisation technology. Pu-239 consists of a lower bare sphere critical mass than Uranium -235 and hence allows for easier miniaturisation.
Why wheeled chassis artillery?
Pakistan is focusing on self-propelled systems to strengthen its artillery strength in addition to its towed systems. The Ukraine War has become a lesson for the vulnerabilities of towed weapon systems, and hence, Pakistan realises that amalgamation of both self-propelled and towed weapons would be favourable to achieve decisive results on the battlefield. Though Pakistan possesses the M109 versions of self-propelled howitzers, Islamabad also realised the lack of more agile guns in its artillery arsenal.
If we compare the range of the M109 versions and the SH-15, then the SH-15 enjoys the advantage of greater range with rocket-assisted projectiles. This extended operational range capability is possible due to the guns being 155mm/52 calibre. Though Pakistan possesses 155mm/52 calibre Panter guns which can be towed, acquired from Turkey, their range is 40 km. Moreover, the Panter gun is probably not an option for an indirect fire support weapon owing to its towed feature, which requires manned capability.
The ability of the SH-15 to provide indirect firing owing to its speed and range enables greater ability for enfilade firing, which requires the long axis of the firing battery aligned perfectly with the enemy formations. This could make artillery systems extremely vulnerable to detection and being neutralised, and hence, the weapon must be extremely mobile. These gun systems are also capable of firing from defilade to increase their survivability. One advantage of the SH-15 weapon will be its wheeled chassis providing better scope for ‘shoot and scoot’ and hence capable of effective enfilade and defilade firing.
Speed and agility made possible due to high-powered diesel engines would be advantageous during times of crisis when the weapons will need to shift their strategy from deployment to practical operations. The feature of being less prone to wear and tear owing to a wheeled chassis would also provide operational advantages during crises. Such operational advantages are more beneficial when the weapon system is also employed for nuclear roles. The ability of the gun system to drive for long distances could enable Pakistan to make the nuclear warhead guns operationally feasible only when conventional thresholds are weak rather than having to deploy them when conventional thresholds are strong. This means that the wheeled chassis feature in the guns could allow for only the conventional guns to be deployed during lesser crises.
These weapons are strategically important not only for their nuclear capability, but also for their wheeled chassis that provides greater scope to shift from deployment to operational tasks. This provides strengthened combat capability to the guns. Mobility that can manoeuvre through time-sensitive zones on the battlefield and deliver decisive results proves advantageous, especially in artillery warfare where the guns are constantly under threat from aerial as well as missile capabilities of adversaries. Its network-centric systems make it fully compatible to operate with other artillery command units, providing greater scope for mobility and shoot-and-scoot. This network-centric warfare capability is ensured with the help of a digitised fire control system which is integrated with satellite navigation and real-time data links.
Conclusion
Modern and advanced capabilities in the SH-15 could provide Pakistan with greater firepower ability and reduce its reliance on nuclear artillery. One could easily comprehend Pakistan’s need for nuclear-capable Nasr MLRS back in 2011 owing to its own limitations in artillery guns. But with modern systems, Islamabad’s reliance on tactical nuclear artillery systems must now diminish.
