Bharat Forge Subsidiary KSSL Unveils 120mm Rapid Attack Mortar on 4x4 Chassis

Speed dictates survival in modern artillery combat. Standing still invitingly on an open ridgeline invites swift counter-battery fire.

Kalyani Strategic Systems Limited (KSSL), the wholly owned defence arm of Bharat Forge, took the wraps off its new 120mm Rapid Attack Mortar System (R.A.M.S)—a heavy fire-support platform welded straight to an agile 4x4 tactical vehicle. The engineering priority is simple. It cuts crew deployment drills down to the bare bone.

Traditional towed mortars force crews to halt, dismount, haul heavy baseplates into mud or scree, calibrate sights, fire, and repack under enemy observation. The 120mm R.A.M.S tears up that playbook. Soldiers fire directly from the vehicle bed. They pull up, lock targets, loose high-explosive rounds, and gun the engine before the first shell impacts downrange.

High-Altitude Terrain and Shoot-and-Scoot Agility

The platform tackles punishing topography. KSSL engineered the vehicle chassis to hold traction and power across narrow Himalayan mountain passes, deep desert sand, and waterlogged plains. High-altitude operations place severe mechanical strain on combustion engines and hydraulic recoil dampers. The company confirmed the platform maintains full operational readiness across sub-zero mountain freezes, blistering desert heat, and blinding monsoon downpours.

Tight targeting loops and loitering drones have made stationary artillery sitting ducks. The vehicle's integrated shoot-and-scoot design addresses that exact operational hazard.

By keeping troops inside or shielded beside the mobile platform, the system dramatically compresses response times while lowering shrapnel exposure.

Indigenous Production and Export Ambitions

Bharat Forge has pushed heavily into vehicle-mounted artillery and heavy ordnance. The parent group previously secured international export traction—including delivering six Advanced Towed Artillery Gun Systems (ATAGS) to overseas clients such as Armenia—as confirmed earlier by Chairman Baba Kalyani. The new 120mm vehicle platform deepens that proprietary lineup.

KSSL confirmed the R.A.M.S architecture remains modular. The platform allows software upgrades, digital fire-control integrations, and mechanical recalibrations as combat doctrines evolve. Demonstrations and tactical evaluations for domestic procurement wings and overseas delegations will determine the platform's initial deployment timeline across active border commands.