Made in India, built for all terrains: The ATAGS howitzer that fires and disappears in 85 seconds is being tested locally

Time of India

07-07-2025

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Built for modern battlefields
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India is gearing up to field its own mobile artillery that can operate just as easily on Rajasthan's burning sands as it can on Siachen's icy heights. The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) calls it the Advanced Towed Artillery Gun System or ATAGS. This 155mm, 52-calibre beast is set to replace the Army's older guns with something far more potent.The idea for ATAGS was greenlit back in 2012. The Armament Research and Development Establishment (ARDE) has driven its design with clear goals: longer range, pinpoint accuracy, faster firing, and all-weather, all-terrain readiness. 'The ATAGS has been envisaged with a high degree of excellence in range, accuracy, consistency of operations, superior rate of fire, and all-weather and terrain deployability,' said ARDE Director A Raju told HT.ATAGS isn't just a gun. It's a carefully engineered system. The upper carriage packs the gun barrel, breech, recoil system, loading gear, and targeting controls. Below that sits the undercarriage, the frame, wheels, and drive gear. There's no complicated hydraulics to fuss over in the field either. An all-electric drive handles gun laying, loading, ramming, and deployment. Fewer moving parts, fewer headaches.'The system is configured with an all-electric drive to ensure maintenance-free and reliable field operations,' the DRDO noted in its bulletin. The gun can fire existing shells in the Army's stockpile and plugs into the Artillery Combat Command and Control System (ACCCS). So, it doesn't just shoot, it talks to other units too.In action, ATAGS can fire 10 high-explosive shells in under three minutes. Or pump out five rounds in just 60 seconds in burst mode. Targets up to 48 km away are fair game, depending on ammo.Modern wars show that artillery must move fast or die fast. The Russia-Ukraine conflict drove that lesson home. High mobility means you shoot, scoot, and survive. To fill this gap, India is adapting ATAGS into a Mounted Gun System (MGS). Think of it as ATAGS bolted onto an 8x8 truck. It packs shock absorbers, blast-proof cabins, silent power units, and an electronic brain to control the whole thing.The MGS can unleash six rounds in a minute and strike targets over 45 km away. It takes just 85 seconds to shoot and relocate. 'The Russia-Ukraine war has shown the effectiveness of high mobility artillery,' said VRDE chief GRM Rao after internal trials in Balasore and Pokhran.The government has already cleared the purchase of 307 ATAGS units. The Defence Acquisition Council signed off on this plan, and the Cabinet Committee on Security backed it with a Rs 7,000 crore nod in March. Production is split between Bharat Forge and Tata Advanced Systems Limited. Bharat Forge will build 60 percent of the guns, Tata the rest.'We aim to sign the ATAGS contract by the end of this fiscal year,' General Dwivedi confirmed earlier. Trials for the truck-mounted version should wrap up by 2026.The Army wants 700 to 800 mounted systems eventually. Several private and public firms are vying for a share, including Bharat Forge, Tata Advanced Systems, Adani Defence (partnered with an Israeli firm), and Advanced Weapons Equipment India Ltd.The artillery boost doesn't stop with ATAGS. The Pinaka rocket system , India's answer to multi-barrel rocket fire — is also evolving. Its range has grown from 40 km to 72 km. Plans are underway to push that to 90 km, possibly even 120 km, outpacing the old Russian Smerch launchers.Then there's the K9 Vajra. Originally built with South Korean tech, it's a proven self-propelled gun already in Army service. Another 100 Vajra units will join the fleet by end of 2025, adding to the 100 already deployed in places like Ladakh.The Galwan clash in 2020 changed the Army's mindset. More firepower, closer to contested borders, all with an emphasis on speed and local manufacturing. 'Adding mobility to artillery guns enhances their lethality and firepower,' said one DRDO official.Nearly all new systems are made in India, apart from the M777 ultra-light howitzers from the US. It's a deliberate shift under 'Make in India'. The goal is clear: modernise artillery with longer range guns, smarter rockets, lethal ammo, and drones, all tied together so targets can be spotted and destroyed faster than ever before.India's artillery transformation is no small affair. Tens of thousands of crores are being sunk into this plan. But for a country keeping a watchful eye on two tense borders, homegrown firepower is no longer just a project. It's the frontline.