The 155mm/52 calibre Advanced Towed Artillery Gun System (ATAGS) project was started in 2013 by Defence Research & Development Organisation (DRDO) to replace older guns in service with a modern 155mm artillery gun. DRDO’s Armament Research and Development Establishment (ARDE) conceptualised, configured and evolved the preliminary design of India’s first indigenously developed and one of the most advanced artillery gun, then identified and partnered with Bharat Forge Limited and Tata Power Strategic Engineering Division for this purpose.
The gun has an all electric drive to ensure reliability and minimum maintenance over a long period of time. It has advanced features like high mobility, quick deployability, auxiliary power mode, advanced communication system, automatic command and control system with night capability in direct fire mode. The gun is almost equal in weight to guns in the same category and is designed to provide better accuracy and range. It is capable of firing five successive rounds in short duration. It is compatible with C4I systems like Artillery Combat Command and Control System (ACCCS) called Shakti for technical fire control, fire planning, deployment management, operational logistics management of the Indian Army.
The development of the complex system has been carried out in a very short time of four years. ATAGS was first publicly showcased at the Republic Day parade on 26 January 2017. In August 2018, the Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) approved the procurement of 150 ATAGS with an estimated cost of ?3,364.78 crore, however, no order has yet been placed.
Trials
DRDO achieved technological breakthrough by successfully conducting maiden dynamic firing trials of two fully integrated ATAGS. The trials conducted at Proof and Experimental Establishment (PXE), Chandipur, from 13-20 December 2016, successfully met the mission objectives.
During trials, ATAGS broke the world record for 155 mm gun by firing the round to a maximum distance of 48.074 kilometres with Extended Range Full Bore-Base Bleed (ERFB-BB) ammunition, surpassing the maximum ranges fired by any artillery gun system in this category.
Labs Involved
ARDE, Pune is the nodal lab, which carried out the development work of ATAGS. Sister DRDO labs – Instruments Research and Development Establishment (IRDE), Dehradun; Vehicles Research and Development Establishment (VRDE), Ahmednagar; Centre for Artificial Intelligence and Robotics (CAIR), Bengaluru; Defence Electronics Application Laboratory (DEAL), Dehradun and PXE – chipped in with solutions in specific areas. The in house development has led to headway in the advanced technologies, which include higher pressure, higher chamber volume gun barrel, breech mechanism, compact recoil system and an efficient muzzle brake. A very robust yet compact structure, high power compact auxiliary power unit (APU) for achieving higher mobility during cross-country, walking-beam suspension for negotiating highly undulating terrains, SDR-based advanced communication, simultaneous voice and data communication, fire control computer, compact thermal imaging (TI) sight and surveillance system are some of the advanced features of the gun system.
The ATAGS is configured with all electric drives to ensure maintenance free and reliable field operations. The automation ensures five Multiple Rounds Simultaneous Impact (MRSI), automatic shell loading and ramming, higher rate of fire, and fast coming into/out of action in the day/night war scenario. It is equipped with Integrated Fire Control system consisting of INS-based Automatic Gun Alignment and Positioning System (AGAPS), Muzzle Velocity Radar (MVR) and Ballistic Computer to carry out online computations. The system comprises a Tactical Computer (TC) that commands and controls a battery of six to eight guns over radio and line and has been configured to be integrated as per ACCCS Shakti network protocol of the Artillery regiment.
Many Firsts
There are many firsts in the design, development and manufacturing of ATAGS. The designers, ie, DRDO went straight for the large calibre length of 52 calibre, much more than the Bofors 155mm/39 calibre. It meant a longer barrel, which had to sustain higher chamber pressure and larger chamber capacity for the first time in an artillery gun.
The ATAGS has enhanced accuracy and consistency. It has proven platform stability in trials. Laying accuracy with servo-based drives has been excellent. The inertial navigation system provides accurate positioning and pointing characteristics. Muzzle Velocity Radar and sensors provide data on barrel wear, temperature online. Real time met data update is available. The fire control computer provides digital fire control computation.
ATAGS provides enhanced performance through INS-based Automatic Gun Alignment and Positioning System, sighting system and superior barrel parameters and safety features.
ATAGS has remarkable deployability and survivability for its class. New materials and recoil management methods have resulted in a lighter gun. High-powered FAT provides higher tactical mobility. Agility is enhanced by a high-power APU, which also enhances shoot-and-scoot capability. Its compactness, backpack system and shape optimisation has given it strategic mobility. Passive protection from countermeasures has been built in.
ATAGS incorporates many of the latest trends. In automation a number of mechanisms – elevation & traverse, ramming, primer feeding, loading tray and breech operating – along with a unique ammunition table, have all used innovative techniques. This is the only gun with servo-based all electric drives for all upper mechanisms.
To reduce weight and make the gun lighter, the recoil system was optimised during all stages of development – design, manufacturing, firing and post-firing. During the design stage, static and dynamic finite element analysis was done. During manufacturing stage, some components were manufactured with casting, investment casting and near net-shape forging and by using optimised welded joints.
During the firing stage, the design was optimised based on strain gauging and ‘g’ levels measurements. In the post-firing stage, material thickness was reduced at lower stress levels, Titanium alloys were used where possible and fibre reinforced plastic (FRP) was used for non-load bearing components.
During all stages, modularity, maintainability and affordability was kept central to the design. A fine balance was achieved in trade-offs between
• Longer range and deployability.
• Lethal effect vs precision attack.
• Automation vs simplicity.
• Autonomy vs Manual operation.
In all these decisions on trends the overriding factor was the requirement to have indigenous content and have a gun which is fully a “Make in India’ product.
ATAGS – Salient Features
Range BT>35km. BB>45km
Accuracy & Consistency – 0.6% in Range,
0.2% in Line
Rate of Fire Burst of 5rds per min
Direct Fire 2km
Gun Laying ILNS in loop
Communication SDR, VDCU, DIS
Automation All electric
Compactness Back Pack
Self-propelled mobility >18km/hr
Technologies incorporated in ATAGS
* All electric drive based Servo-control
* Inertial land navigation system
* Online muzzle velocity update for FCS
* SDR based communications
* Non-moving optics based TI sight
* Autofrettaged gun barrel
* Hydro-pneumatic recoil system
* Hydrostatic transmission for self-prop
* Uses all indigenous ammunition
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Artillery Guns From Kalyani Group
Kalyani Group has gone for development of new guns without waiting for MoD orders. After the army launched a programme to procure 145 ultralight howitzers from the international market – a $700 million contract that BAE Systems eventually won with its M777 gun system – the Kalyani Group has unilaterally designed and built two different ultralight howitzers, which it intends to offer the army under the “Make-2” category.” Under this procurement category, companies can offer the MoD defence products they have developed at their own cost.
Of these ultralight howitzers, one is a 155 mm, 39-calibre titanium gun that weighs a mere 4.8 tonnes. Kalyani Group has dubbed it Mountain Artillery Gun – Titanium (MArG-T). Its range matches the BAE Systems M777 gun, with conventional ammunition fired to a range of 25 km. The other gun is a larger, cheaper, all-steel 155 mm, 52 calibre gun that weighs 7.8 tonnes and fires conventional ammunition to a range of 30 km.
Both these guns are truly indigenous, having been designed by Kalyani Goup’s R&D centre in Pune. While Bharat Forge’s metal working skills are acknowledged worldwide, their Pune R&D centre develops the command and control systems, central computers and automation that goes into gun systems.
In December 2018, with the Sino-Indian border roiled by the recent Doklam confrontation, then army chief, General Bipin Rawat, visited Kalyani Group and asked whether they could build a truck-mounted 155 mm, 39 calibre gun that could move around on the narrow roads of northern Sikkim. The gun that Kalyani group developed in response is on display at Defexpo. Based on a 4×4 vehicle produced by Bharat Earth Movers Ltd, the so-called “Go Anywhere Vehicle” offers unparalleled mobility.
The Kalyani Group has a growing relationship with BAE Systems and purchased the British company’s barrel production unit located in the UK. This facility has been physically relocated from the UK to Pune. For any future artillery orders BAE Systems gets from the international market – including a possible follow-on order from India for more M777 ultralight howitzers – it is likely to source barrels from the Kalyani Group.
