In an effort to field Indian-made heavy towed artillery, the Indian Army has completed validation trials of the long-anticipated 155 mm/52-caliber Advanced Towed Artillery Gun System (ATAGS) system, India’s Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO) announced this week.
The ATAGS system is designed and developed by the DRDO with the collaboration of private industry. The gun completed a years-long process of refabrication according to the developing requirements of the Army.
The system is hailed as a potent option in the class of artilleries, and if inducted, it will be one of the frontline weapons in the artillery regiment of the Army’s arsenal. DRDO was responsible for validation trials of the indigenously developed 155 mm/52-caliber Advanced Towed Artillery Gun System (ATAGS) for the Indian Army.
In the next phase, the gun will undergo the selection of a private company for the Transfer of Technology to allow mass production.
One of the lead private companies and co-developer of the gun system, Tata Advanced Systems Limited (TASL), announced that ‘Preliminary Service Quality Requirements (PSQR) evaluations of the ATAGS were conducted on 2 May and all intended parameters were met accordingly.
In the announcement, the DRDO said the PSQR trials were conducted at Rajasthan’s Pokhran field firing ranges in northwestern India at desert ranges, from April 26 to May 2. According to both the DRDO and TASL, the trials were successful at proving the reliability and performance of the gun system. The testing prototype proved its operational capability in all weather conditions, thus satisfying the Army’s requirements.
The ATAGS has already yielded impressive results at various testing phases, including its accuracy of firing. In August 2018, the MoD’s Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) sanctioned the procurement of 150 ATAGS for the Indian Army at the value of 440 million dollars at the initial acquisition stage.
