By Vaibhav Agrawal
Open sources have indicated that the Royal Saudi Army conducted desert trials of the Bharat 52, a 155mm, 52 calibre towed howitzer, and the Garuda V2, a 105mm gun mounted on a light vehicle chassis for enhanced mobility, both manufactured by the Pune-based Kalyani Group, in 2020. It has been reported that the Saudi Army has recently placed orders with India for one of these systems.
The Royal Saudi Army currently operates the GC-45 howitzer, a 155mm artillery piece designed by the Space Research Corporation (SRC) of Gerald Bull, which was subsequently acquired by the Kalyani Group. The Bharat 52 is a modernized version of the GC-45 howitzer, featuring a 52-calibre barrel and significant electronic upgrades. Essentially, the Bharat 52 is an upgraded GC-45 howitzer.
Given their familiarity with the GC-45 howitzer, the Royal Saudi Army has expressed interest in acquiring 70-80 units from the Kalyani Group at a price range of 13-14 crore per unit. It is worth noting that the Kalyani Group has also developed the Bharat 45, an upgraded version of the GC-45 howitzer with a 45-calibre barrel, which has been offered to several Southeast Asian countries that continue to operate the original howitzer.
