This issue coincides with the Gunner’s Day which is celebrated on September 28 every year. The origin of the raising day is traced back to formation of the 5 Mountain Bombay (now Mumbai) Battery on September 28, 1827. The motto of the Regiment of Artillery is Sarvatra Izzat-o-Iqbal (Everywhere with Honour and Glory). Thus this issue is dedicated to the Regiment of Artillery which also includes a message from Lt General K. Ravi Prasad, Director General Artillery.

The lead article is on modernisation of Regiment of Artillery. Modernisation of any arm will be based on its role in the modern battlefield. For Artillery it could be defined as the integrated and coordinated employment of all available firepower resources to shape the battlefield and to degrade the enemy in contact and in depth battle to achieve decisive victory of the enemy. During the last couple of years, the modernisation of Artillery has accelerated at a faster pace, after decades of stagnation. The next article is on Artillery ammunition which includes ammunition for guns, rockets, mortars; and missiles. The current thrust is on Precision Guided Munitions (PGM) which is a guided munition designed to precisely hit a specific target. The terminal guidance unit is designed to sense emitted or reflected electro-magnetic radiation. During the Cold War period, the Soviet Union’s superior tank force presented a serious conventional threat to US and NATO forces in Europe which was partly offset by US nuclear weapons but the requirement was to provide a non-nuclear offset which started the evolution of PGMs.

Then there is an interesting article on equipment (including weapons) for Law Enforcement Agencies as these agencies are dealing with own citizens and at the same time the fire power in the hands of these citizens has become more lethal. This leads to the perennial vexed question of the degree of force to be applied. The Law Enforcement profession probably first began with “an eye for an eye” however modern day law enforcement personnel have to operate in a more transparent society with increasingly complex laws of the land which include human rights and greater accountability. In India the main threat is terrorism/low intensity conflict operations in J&K, terrorism in other states and Left Wing Extremism. In such an operating environment the selection of equipment and weapons requires deep reflection and intense training. In modern battle field it is very important to defeat the night with modern technology thus read all about it in this issue.

Defence & Security Equipment International (DSEI), one of the largest and most significant arms fair in the world wrapped a successful 20th year, held from September 10 to 13, 2019, in London. We have a report on this biennial event is a principal event that brings together governments, national armed forces, industry leaders and the global defence and security supply chain on an unrivaled scale.

Then there is the usual news digest and flag postings. We wrap this edition with wishing a Happy Gunners Day on September 28th. May you succeed in every battle with Honour and Glory. We also wish our discerning readers happy Dussehra and Diwali.