The Artillery Arm of the Peruvian Army celebrates its anniversary every May 2 in homage to the combat that on that day in 1866, the batteries located in Callao and the Real Felipe Fortress faced a squadron of ships of the Spanish Navy, the last exchange of arms between the Spanish crown and independent Peru.
Although the 156th anniversary of the artillery weapon in Peru was celebrated in 2022, its use in the Andean country dates back to before the independence campaign, formalized in 1821 but sealed in the battle of Ayacucho in 1824.
The patron saint of Peruvian artillery is the colonel, former deputy, and former senator José Joaquín Inclan Gonzales Vigil (1818-1880). Artilleryman since 1866, when he participated in the combat of May 2 of that same year.
After rejoining the military service in 1879, he lost his life in the battle of Arica in June 1880 at 62 as commander of the batteries of the East fort of the defensive emplacement.
After the War with Chile and the subsequent economic crisis, the high command of the Peruvian Armed Forces gradually relied on technology as a preponderant factor to deter potential enemies.
The Navy turned to submarines early in the 20th century; the Air Force already had Italian bombers before World War II.
Between 1906 and 1913, the Army acquired Schneider howitzers from France; however, supplies were interrupted for 20 years due to a lack of payments.
Between the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century, Argentina, Brazil, and Chile made very important military purchases.
In the 1920s, the Peruvian Army acquired Bofors howitzers.
It was not until the end of 1933 that the Peruvian Army resumed purchases from France, reaching some 80 Schneider howitzers and Brandt mortars (some 90 units of these mortars survive to date, including 81 mm and 120 mm pieces, together with 107 mm and 120 mm mortars acquired later from the United States and Spain, respectively).
Technology made a difference in the Army around 1941, in the War with Ecuador when the Peruvian armed institute used its 24 LTP tanks (Lehky Tank Peruánský) manufactured by the Czech company CKD in its combat operations.
SECOND HALF OF THE 20TH CENTURY
It was between 1960 and 1980 that the Peruvian Armed Forces acquired weapons systems that placed them at the technological forefront in the region.
However, in those same years, the seeds were planted for what would later become a disastrous economic crisis and two terrorist movements that appeared in 1980 and would only be defeated militarily in the following decade, when the economic crisis was also defeated. Peru returned to the path of socio-economic growth.
Unfortunately, the abovementioned crisis did not allow for continued investment in equipment to preserve the Armed Forces.
Today, a good part of its material, particularly that of the Army, dates from the 1970s.
With the fiscal accounts in clear improvement, the successive governments that have administered the State since 2001 did not maintain a constant rhythm of investments that would allow replacing old military equipment.
Military acquisitions in Peru have usually been adapted to the current situation, except for emergencies such as the Cenepa conflict in 1995.
For example, when the Peruvian Air Force already had MiG-29 and Su-25 fighter jets the following year, the state administrations did not concern themselves with the defense sector until around 2009, when they began to explore the international market, including a frustrated purchase of tanks from Norinco.
RECENT YEARS
Between 2011 and 2016, multiple military acquisitions were made, including multiple rocket launcher weaponry and anti-tank weapons.
However, again, the economic management of that administration already provided a glimpse of the budget adjustments that the Defense sector has undergone until 2022.
This year there have been very interesting announcements about a military modernization program that would extend into the next decade.
However, at the time of writing this article, these announcements remain on paper, in one or another market survey but without concrete acquisitions, in a context with economic projections that for next year are not encouraging.
The Peruvian Army’s towed artillery consists of 36 130 mm towed howitzers; 36 122 mm D-30 towed howitzers; 12 155 mm Sofma Mod. 51 pieces; 36 155 mm M114A1 towed howitzers; 72 105 mm Yugoimport M-56 towed howitzers; 70 105 mm M101/M2A1 towed howitzers and 24 105 mm OTO Melara Mod. 56 howitzers.
As for self-propelled artillery, the Army lines up 12 M109 155 mm self-propelled howitzers acquired in the 1970s, which, according to unofficial sources, were acquired with resources left over from the acquisitions made in the then Soviet Union, which, by the way, were only paid for in the 2000s:
- an unspecified number of AMX-13 tank destroyers modified to the Scorpion anti-tank platform (with multiple prototypes of different configurations);
- 27 AMX-13 multiple rocket launchers, which have been modified to the Scorpion anti-tank platform (with various prototypes of different configurations);
- 27 Norinco Type 90B 122 mm multiple rocket launchers and an interest in purchasing the longer-range Norinco AR3 300/370 mm MLRS Norinco AR3s, which did not materialize;
- eight Denel RO-107 107 mm multiple rocket launcher modules; about 20 9K132 Grad-1P 122 mm monotube rocket launchers;
- and about 24 BM-21 multiple rocket launchers, also dating from the 1970s.
PROJECTS
In terms of upgrading, an Army War Material Service project to modify towed howitzers was known in mid-2018.
It involves the optimization of 122mm D-30s, howitzers acquired from the Soviet Union in 1973 but are still considered highly effective weapons.
The Army’s D-30s, weighing about 3,290 kilograms, are factory-integrated with a mechanical lifting system to bring the weapon into the battery and retract it.
The Army’s Science and Technology Research Center (Cicte) planned the integration of a hydraulic system that reduces the deployment and retraction times of the howitzer, reduces the number of servants, increases its safety, and increases the useful life of the weapon without altering the firing tables, aiming system, and braking and recovery parameters.
Unofficial information gathered by Infodefensa indicates that the Navy’s D-30 howitzers integrate a hydraulic system.
The D-30 towed howitzer is also the subject of a joint project between FAME S.A.C. and Diseños Casanave Corporation S.A.C. that seeks to integrate it into the chassis of the AMX-13 tank destroyer to obtain a 122 mm self-propelled howitzer.
Another interesting project was unveiled at Sitdef 2019. A local initiative of the Army War Material Service, it integrates the BM-21’s rotating launcher module with 40 122 mm muzzles on a 6×6 traction MAN truck.
Test firing has been carried out to validate the resulting weapon system. It should be noted that the original requirement for the purchase of the MLRS Type 90B called for the purchase of 40 launchers, and having acquired only 27 units, this project was aimed at covering the difference, with the possibility of even increasing the inventory.
As for anti-tank weapons, in addition to a large number of RPG-7 units, used with resounding success in the Cenepa conflict, the Army has 1,200 Spike and Kornet missile launchers in ten anti-tank companies, together with 1,700 units of the Panzerfaust 3T with 181 launchers and 660 units of the Alcotan 100 with 74 launchers.
Finally, the Army is taking its first steps to integrate drones in aerial reconnaissance operations for artillery units and to use them as fire support units.
The development of research and development programs for the incorporation of combat drones and marauding drones (kamikaze), which have proven to be highly effective in the modern theater of operations, is still pending.
Likewise, the renewal of towed and self-propelled artillery pieces is a critical requirement to update the equipment of the Peruvian Army.
With information from InfoDefensa