After the 1965 and 1971 wars between India and Pakistan, the Army was in search of mobile (self propelled) artillery gun systems, primarily for the strike formations on the western borders. The production of Catapult guns began in the late 1970s and they were inducted in 1981. The platform is based on the Soviet 130 mm M-46 field gun mounted on a lengthened hull of the ageing British/Indian Vijayanta tank. A total of 100 M-46 Catapult systems were built and are being replaced by an unspecified number and type of 155mm self-propelled howitzers and K-9 Vajra gun systems.

Development

The Catapult 130mm self-propelled gun is an Indian-made self-propelled gun based on the chassis of the Vijayanta tank, the main MBT of the Indian Army, and equipped with a 130mm M-46 field gun. The main gun of this vehicle, the 52-caliber 130mm M-46 field gun, was developed after World War II as a successor to the 46.3-caliber 122mm A-19 field gun that had been used by the former Soviet Union until then. Since the West first confirmed the existence of the M-46 in 1954, it was called by the NATO code "M1954".



The M-46 had a very long barrel of 6,760 mm, and used a 33.4 kg howitzer with a muzzle velocity of 930 m/s, a firing rate of 5-8 rounds per minute, and a maximum range of 27,500 m for normal rounds and 38,000 m for rocket-assisted propelled rounds, making it an extremely capable field gun for its time. India purchased about 750 M-46s from the former Soviet Union, and took advantage of their long range in the Indo-Pakistani War, which resulted in the development of a self-propelled gun equipped with this gun.

At the time, the Indian Army had about 2,200 Vijanta tanks, but they were already outdated, and it was decided to introduce the T-72M1 tank from the former Soviet Union as a successor, so the surplus Vijanta tank chassis was used as the base for the self-propelled gun. The Vijanta tank is an Indian Army version of the Vickers Mk.1 tank, developed by the British company Vickers as a private venture for export. It was initially imported from the UK, but later produced under license in India.

The conversion to a self-propelled gun involved removing the Vijanta tank's turret, lengthening the hull and increasing the number of road wheels from six to seven on each side, and installing an open-topped fixed fighting compartment on top of the hull with the M-46 mounted facing backwards. In addition to the howitzer, the M-46 also had a tungsten-cored armor-piercing howitzer (weight 33.6 kg), which had a muzzle velocity of 930 m/s and could penetrate 250 mm RHA (rolled homogeneous armour) at a range of 500 m and 150 mm RHA at a range of 4,000 m, making it powerful enough to be used as an anti-tank gun.

The SPG was designed to carry a total of 30 rounds of howitzer and armour-piercing shells. Production of the SPG ceased long ago and it is now outdated, but due to the cancellation of its replacement, the 155mm "Bhim" (named after Bhima, a character from the ancient Indian epic poem, the Mahabharata), 100 vehicles are still in service with the Indian Army, with 70 kept as reserves, making for a total of 170 according to most sources.

Design of the M46 Catapult

"The turret-less vehicle has an open area in the centre for the gun and crew but retains the driver's position and includes a horizontal metal shield for overhead protection. 130 mm Self Propelled M-46 Catapult Guns decommissioning ceremony, March 2021. To withstand higher firing stresses and to cater for longer recoil the Vijayanta tank's hull has been elongated with seven bogie wheel stations on either side. The stability to the vehicle during firing is provided by unique hydraulic suspension locking system. The self-propelled medium artillery gun can fire both HE and AP ammunition and has a maximum range of 27 km. The gun has a limited static traverse 12½% on either side and an elevation of +45% to -2%. The system can stow 30 rounds of separate loading ammunition.

The M46 Catapult in action

The guns never saw combat, though they were deployed during Operation Parakram in 2001 at Samba district of Jammu and Kashmir — in the chicken neck area and Shakargarh bulge and during Operation Zafran after the Pulwama terror attack. It was retired from service on 16 March 2021 after 40 years of active service with the Indian Army.

M46 Catapult specifications
Dimensions (l-w-h):	Unknown
Total weight:	c45 tons
Crew :	6
Propulsion:	As Vijayanta
Transmission:	As Vijayanta
Suspensions:	As Vijayanta
Top Speed (flat)	As Vijayanta: Torsion bars, 7 roadwheels per side
Range (road)	As Vijayanta
Armament	130 mm M46 field gun
Armour	As Vijayanta (hull)
Total Production	100-170 depended on source

References gallery

M46 shown in a recent footage in the western camoufage.

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Links about the M46 Catapult

army-guide.com
defence.pk/
pib.gov.in
globalsecurity.org
theprint.in/
theweek.in/
en.wikipedia.org
combat1.sakura.ne.jp