The Indian Army is going to place orders for 307 advanced towed artillery gun system (ATAGS) howitzers, which are going to be manufactured by two private firms in India.
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.
