ATAGS firing. (Photo : Indian Army)
India has decided to enlist the aid of the private sector to produce its new Advanced Towed Artillery Gun System (ATAGS), or the DRDO 155 mm/52 caliber long-range howitzer that only fired its first live rounds in December 2016 after having been in development since 2010.
Designed for the Indian Army, ATAGS is being developed by state-owned Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO) in partnership with two private sector firms: Kalyani Group and Tata Power SED.
And, in a break from tradition, the government announced ATAGS will be made by both Kalyani and Tata Power and not by DRDO.
India's Ministry of Defense (MoD) is expected to order 144 howitzers worth $350 million in 2018. Production of ATAGS is expected to start in 2019.
The Indian Army, however, requires more than 1,500 towed howitzers. The contract to produce this many howitzers could be worth over $4.5 billion, and provide a substantial boost for domestic private defense firms.
In December 2016, DRDO and the Indian Army jointly conducted the first engineering trials during which the ATAGS prototype fired its first rounds of live ammunition. The prototype will now undergo a series of trials for range accuracy and performance in varying terrain and climate conditions.
The trials might take all of three years to complete, meaning that ATAGS might be commissioned into the Indian Army by 2022 at the earliest.
ATAGS, which has an effective range of 40 km, is capable of firing five successive rounds in short duration. It was designed to provide better accuracy and range and at 12,000 kg is two tons lighter than guns in the same category.
In the intense fire mode, ATAGS can fire 15 rounds in three minutes, and 60 rounds in 60 minutes in the sustained mode.
ATAGS was started by DRDO to replace older guns in service with a modern 155 mm artillery gun.
