The proposal, worth over Rs 8,000 crore, has been floated by the Indian Army and is expected to be cleared soon, top government officials told India Today.

The Indian Army has conducted trials of the gun in different altitudes and terrains and the weapon has been upgraded as per the suggestions made by the users, said officials.

The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has shared the technological know-how of the howitzer with Tata and Bharat Forge. The two private firms will be supplying the system to the Army, including over 320 high mobility-vehicles. The trials of the 155mm/52 calibre ATAGS howitzers were completed at the Pokhran Field Firing Range (PFFR) between April 26 and May 2 last year.

The ATAGS is an indigenous towed artillery gun system project undertaken in mission mode by the DRDO as a part of the artillery modernisation programme of the Indian Army, said the statement of the Indian Army.

The Armament Research & Development Establishment (ARDE) Pune is the nodal laboratory of the DRDO for the design and development of ATAGS, along with other DRDO laboratories.

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“Kalyani Strategic Systems Limited, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Bharat Forge Ltd has been awarded an export order for a 155 mm Artillery Gun platform to be executed over a 3-year time frame. The total value of the order is $155.5 million,” the company disclosed in a regulatory filing.

“This order, to a non-conflict zone, is a great testament to the Government of India’s Atma Nirbhar Bharat agenda and its sustained push to promote exports of Indigenously Designed Developed and Manufactured advanced defence platforms from India.”

Even though the identity of the recipient was not disclosed, Saudi Arabia is speculated to be the recipient because the Middle-Eastern nation in 2020 had conducted trials of Bharat-52, a 155 mm, 52-calibre towed howitzer, which was the first artillery gun manufactured by the defence firm led by Baba Kalyani. It has a range of about 40 km and is capable of firing six rounds in 50 seconds.

The Kalyani Group has multiple versions of 155 mm artillery guns including the ATGS (advanced towed artillery gun system), which was developed in collaboration with the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) for the Indian Army. The ATGS has not been inducted into the Indian Army as it is still under testing.

This is the second major defence export from India within the last two months, but the first big one from the private sector. Earlier in September, a government-to-government contract was closed between India and Armenia for the supply of Pinaka multi-barrel rocket launchers. The Pinaka order, believed to be a $250 million contract, is to be executed within the next two years.

India’s defence exports have grown over the years, from less than Rs 900 crore in 2014 to over Rs 13,000 crore now. The Defence Ministry has set a target of Rs 1.75 lakh crore of defence production by 2025, which includes exports of Rs 35,000 crore.

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