The guns have been with the army for 12 years and have been extensively used in several exercises and operations. They are also widely deployed from the Rajasthan border to the Siachen glacier; in the latter area, they are being used almost every day. To facilitate easier replacement of parts, the Defence Ministry has reportedly proposed lifting of the ban on Bofors (now owned by Celsius) and enabling licensed production of the remainder of the guns and spares.

``These are the most powerful and accurate guns. Once our Observation Post (OP) identifies a target and the gun locks on to it, the ball of firethis gun spits out hits the target with deadly precision,'' says one gun commander.

``We had halted infantry attacks temporarily because the enemy position needed to be softened. The 155 mm gun does the maximum damage to the enemy positions. Those guns are not only being used to pound Pakistan's gun positions but also for direct hits on enemy bunkers in our territory,'' says an artillery officer at another gun position.

So effective have these guns been that they are now being shifted from other areas of deployment to Kargil. The cold barrel of the highly dependable and accurate big gun inspires confidence among the men manning the position. ``In the given situation and high altitude terrain, the army couldn't have asked for a more effective gun,'' the commander says.

Explaining its advantages, he says that the gun offers a high trajectory and a longer range, up to 45 km, for its high calibre 155 mm shells. And the best part about the Howitzer gun is that it is easy to move. ``A permanent gun positioncan be marked and attacked by the enemy. The Bofors gun can be moved from one point to another easily. Just hook it to a truck and move it,'' he says. And, of course, the fact that Pakistan doesn't have a gun this big.

In fact, the damage the gun has caused so far has been done despite being used in manual mode; when used in automatic mode, the gun can fire several shells within seconds.