Skip to main content

Army may launch summer trials for Advanced Towed Artillery Gun System


 The Army, which has been looking for an Advanced Towed Artillery Gun System (ATAGS), is likely to take a decision soon on whether to conduct summer trials on the ATAGS offered by the Kalyani group, sources close to the development said Thursday.

The Pune-based Kalyani group, whose flagship is Bharat Forge, had developed the ATAGS in association with the Armament Research & Development Establishment (ARDE), which is a part of the Defence Research & Development Organisation (DRDO).

According to the sources, the Army had completed the “winter trials” on the ATAGS earlier this year.

“The army prefers to conduct both winter and summer trials on new weapons systems, to ensure that they function as per the army’s specifications. The summer trials are likely to be held in Rajasthan,” the source said.

Apart from Bharat Forge, the DRDO also has a partnership with Tata Power (Strategic Engineering Division).

“The tests have to be sought by the client, the Indian Army, or by the DRDO. The Indian Army will place orders only after the ATAGS pass the trials. The biggest challenge for the ATAGS is the stability and consistency of the gun barrels and breeches, which require precision engineering and the ability to fire consistently without melting or the barrel bending out of shape because of the heat generated in the barrel,” the sources said. More importantly, the sources, another area that was intensively scrutinized by the army, through tests, was the recoil of the ATAGS.

Besides the ATAGS, the Indian Army was also looking to buy another gun called the Bharat 52, a 155mm, 52-calibre gun similar to the ATAGS. The army had tested the Bharat 52 in Itarsi, Madhya Pradesh.

The Indian Army has been scouting for an ATAGS because the last major supplier of towed guns had been Bofors, back in 1986, when India purchased 410 guns from the Swedish arms supplier. The purchase later turned controversial with claims that Bofors had paid bribes to senior government figures to win the contract. The Bofors contract cost former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi a second term in 1989.

If the trials are successful, the government is likely tin instruct the Indian Army to procure up to 40 ATAGS to begin with. The procurement of the ATAGS is expected to cost the government well over Rs. 900 crore.

“ATAGS are a critical component of the Indian Army, which has not procured any new towed guns in over 32 years. I think the two Indian companies, Bharat Forge and the Tata group company, will probably be the first recipients of the contract for the purchase of ATAGS,” the sources said.



Source Link: http://www.defencenews.in/article/Army-may-launch-summer-trials-for-Advanced-Towed-Artillery-Gun-System-558848

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Border brawl: China choppers were in air

Indian Air Force's Sukhoi 30 fighter aircraft  (File picture) Two helicopters of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army hovered close to the Line of Actual Control in eastern Ladakh on May 5 and Indian Air Force fighter jets had also been airborne at the same time during a face-off between soldiers near the Pangong lake, sources in the army headquarters said on Tuesday. The latest revelations come at a time there has been an escalation in tension in pockets of the disputed frontier. “The Indian Air Force is regularly carrying out sorties of its Sukhoi 30 fighter aircraft in the Ladakh sector amid the simmering tension with China in the region. During the face-off last week, two Chinese choppers had come close to the border but there was no air space violation. The IAF’s Sukhoi 30 fighter jets were also airborne at the same time but it was routine flying and not in response to Chinese helicopters,” a source said. Chinese PLA Choppers Spotted Near LAC; IAF Rushes Fighter Jets To Ladakh...
Post a Comment
Read more

Indian Army looking for new armoured vehicles for Ladakh, Tata among contenders

Humvee and American Stryker Infantry Combat Vehicle are the two others who are also being considered by the Indian Army to deliver such vehicles. Photo of a Tata Defence Combat Light Armored Multi Role Vehicle Seeking to provide highly mobile armoured protection vehicles to its soldiers in high altitude terrains like Eastern Ladakh, the Indian Army is looking to choose from three different vehicles including the indigenous Tata Wheeled Armoured Protection along with American Stryker Infantry Combat Vehicle and Humvee. The Indian Army has a need for armoured infantry combat vehicles for quick movement of troops in the Eastern Ladakh area where the Chinese have deployed their armoured personnel carriers in large numbers. The force is looking at the three options which include the Tata WhAP and the American Stryker and Humvee, defence sources told ANI. The options are being evaluated by the force at the moment and a decision in this regard would be taken soon, they said. Sources said duri...
Post a Comment
Read more

‘Disengagement an intricate process, needs constant verification’: Army

The government’s high-powered China Study Group (CSG) on Wednesday reviewed the latest developments in eastern Ladakh, with focus on the next stage of disengagement between the Indian and Chinese armies following the 14-hour meeting between senior military commanders.   The focus of the current round of military talks is to hammer out a consensus on easing tensions between the two armies in the Finger Area and Depsang plains as well as pulling back weapons and equipment from friction points in other sectors.(PTI) India and China remain committed to “complete disengagement” which is an “intricate process” and “requires constant verification”, the Indian Army said in a statement on Thursday, two days after senior military commanders from both sides met at Chushul to discuss the road map for reducing tensions along the contested Line of Actual Control (LAC). “The senior commanders reviewed the progress on implementation of the first phase of disengagement and discussed further step...
Post a Comment
Read more