Advanced Towed Artillery Gun System (ATAGS) - Program
155mm/52-caliber towed artillery gun
The ATAGS project started in 2013, with production scheduled to begin in 2019. The project was delayed earlier during the development cycle, with issues cropping up in the gun system’s recoil systems as well as delays in the manufacture of sub systems. DRDO’s Armament Research and Development Establishment (ARDE) had partnered with private players, including Bharat Forge and Tata Power Strategic Engineering Division for the project, with the understanding that orders would be divided between the two complanies.
From 1982 the Government of India (GoI) was on the lookout out for a towed 155mm/39-calibre howitzer along with a family of artillery rounds, charges, fuzes and gun-towing trucks. The requirement is for 1,840 howitzers, of which 410 are to be imported off-the-shelf and the rest to be built in-country with progressive local content. The howitzers are required to re-equip 92 of the Indian Army’s Medium Artillery Regiments. From January 1986, bids from both the shortlised contenders are received. On March 11, Bofors AB submitted its best and final offer.
The shortage of 155-mm, 52-calibre artillery is widely considered the Indian Army’s most worrying shortfall. Over the preceding 18 years, several international tenders for buying 1,580 towed guns from the international arms market have stalled. Consequently, no new 155-mm guns have entered the army since the purchase of 410 Bofors howitzers 30 years ago. With the spectre of Bofors dogging international procurement, the DRDO charged its Pune-based Armament Research & Development Establishment (ARDE) with the ambitious ATAGS project to develop an indigenous towed gun.
India’s first indigenous 155mm/52-caliber towed artillery gun is a joint project of two private-sector corporations. This is a reversal of the usual practice of giving only state-owned companies these kinds of pricey orders. State-owned Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO) would develop ATAGS with two private-sector firms, Tata Power SED and the Kalyani Group. Valued at $4.5 billion, the production order could be be a potential windfall for India’s private defense groups, as New Delhi’s army seeks to fill its requirement of over 1,500 towed guns.
Retired Indian Army major general and defense analyst Bhupinder Yadav told Defense News that "Two ATAGS prototypes have already been made and are under trials. MoD has already projected immediate requirement of 114 guns. The production can start within two years of order placement. With two partners having [their] own production line, [they] can meet the requirement faster." An unnamed Indian Army official said that a prototype, with a range of 28 miles, will also undergo trials, testing its abilities in different climates and terrain, along with range accuracy.
The official said, "For serial production to be established, it would take at least upwards of one and [a] half years…In all, ATAGS will take at least four years for induction into artillery," adding that the gun system would be more cost effective than similar systems purchased from foreign weapons suppliers.
Development of the ATAGS system has been divided into nine “work packages”, with each package competitively tendered within India
- Ordnance Factory Board (OFB) won the tender to manufacture gun barrels, along with forgings giant, the Kalyani Group.
- Mahindra Defence Systems will make the recoil system.
- Punj Lloyd will make the muzzle brake.
During full-scale manufacture, an entire eco-system of smaller Tier-2 and Tier-3 suppliers is expected to come up.
DNA Info quoted Praveen Kumar Mehta, director general of DRDO’s Armaments and Combat Engineering Systems, praising the development, saying, "We take pride to do things in the country and even if it's not at par with the international standards, we still strive to make it the best. Hence, this gun is a very good example of how the DRDO and the Ordnance Factory Board (OFB), along with the industry, can come out with a system within the country and compete with the best in the world. In fact, we look forward to the export of such systems in the time to come."
"The task of development and manufacturing of [the] gun system was allotted to Kalyani Group, based on their know-how, competence, experience and infrastructure. Bharat Forge (a company of Kalyani Group) has taken up the role of co-developer, providing diverse inputs in design, manufacture and development," said Rajinder Bhatia, head of the Kalyani Group's Defence and Aerospace division. He added that the group,"has also established India's first private facility to manufacture ordnance including gun barrel, gun superstructure and ammunition transfer system, auxiliary propulsion system including undercarriage, and gun display units for artillery guns."
As of January 2017, two ATAGS prototypes had been made and were under trials. MoD projected an immediate requirement of 114 guns. The production can start within two years of order placement. With two partners having their own production line, they can meet the requirement faster. In all, ATAGS will take at least four years for induction into artillery.
The task of development and manufacturing of the gun system was allotted to Kalyani Group, based on their know-how, competence, experience and infrastructure. Bharat Forge (a company of Kalyani Group) took up the role of co-developer, providing diverse inputs in design, manufacture and development. The group established India's first private facility to manufacture ordnance including gun barrel, gun superstructure and ammunition transfer system, auxiliary propulsion system including undercarriage, and gun display units for artillery guns.
The development of the gun took about 4 years and was expected to be complete by March 2017. The delay in completion of the project was attributed to realization of ordnance and recoil system and supply issue with manufacturing of sub-systems. The gun’s start user trials started and production was expected to start in 2019. It was first publicly showcased at 68th Republic Day parade on 26 January 2017.
India’s first high capacity indigenous long range 155mm gun and Dhanush’s supplement gun ATAGS (Advanced Towed Artillery Gun System) trials began on 27 October 2018 at Pokhran Field Firing Range in Jaisalmer district. These went on for five days. The gun in its last trials in August 18 had fired up to 47.2 km distance.
Defence sources said the indigenous 155 MM/52 calibre ATAGS gun is being used at the firing range in Jaisalmer and targets at various distances which are approximately 60 kilometres away. The firing capacity is being checked on different parameters and these guns are performing as per the expectations. The ammunition is also being checked. To strengthen the firing capacity of the Army, the ambitious gun is being checked and in the coming days, many senior officers of DRDO and Army have come to Jaisalmer. The gun has world’s longest hitting capacity.
By the end of 2018, the development of the indigenously-designed ATAGS had advanced to a stage where user-assisted trials of the gun are likely to start by June 2019 and the Army has begun finalising the Preliminary Specifications Qualitative Requirements (PSQR). The gun currently weighed about 18 tonnes while the ideal weight for the army would be 14-15 tonnes. While the development team wanted the weight, accuracy and firing parameters to be relaxed in the PSQR, the Army said that would be looked into after the user-assisted trials commenced.
Once the PSQRs are approved, the process for formulating the final Qualitative Requirements would begin. Guns from both Bharat Forge and Tata Power would be evaluated and based on the commercial bids, the order would be split between them with the lowest bidder getting a larger order. The Defence Ministry had already approved the in-principle purchase of 150 of these guns at an approximate cost of Rs3,365 crore.
The ATAGS gun barrel, manufactured by Bharat Forge Ltd, exploded on 12 September 2020, right after a firing test that was being supervised by DRDO officials, injuring four army personnel. The mishap came at a time when the gun system had successfully completed trials and production of the first 40 was to begin shortly. One of shells burst within the barrel, damaging the gun. It could have occurred due to the inferior quality of metallurgy or the barrel not meeting prescribed standards. Or faulty ammunition may have led to the incident. The ammunition was supplied by the ordnance factories. This was not the first trial. It has performed remarkably we in high altitude trial in Sikkim. The gun had met all parameters so far during previous trials.
To achieve a higher range, a shell has to be fired with extra charge or explosive. In this test of ATAGS, the shell was fired with seven charge modules. Higher charge increases the pressure, which, beyond a certain limit, can affect the shell’s movement. This can lead to accidents like a burst barrel. Concerns were raised about the safety of firing the shells with higher charge a few days before the accident.
The gun made by Tata Power suffered the barrel hit. The barrel in both Tata and Bharat Forge guns have been made by the latter. The ATAGS is designed to achieve a range of 42km and beyond. In 2017, it had achieved a record range of 48km. The shells for 155mm calibre howitzers made by the ordnance factory are designed to be fired with up to six charge modules and handle pressure up to 340 megapascals. To make the shell fly over 40km, seven charge modules are used. The OFB shells are made under transfer of technology (TOT) from South African company Dennel. In the TOT, it has been specified that the gun can handle service pressure of 340 megapascals, or six charge modules at the most. This is called zone 6 ammunition, which is the standard world over. OFB only makes zone 6 ammunition, which is in line with NATO standards.
What was used in ATAGS was zone 7. Higher pressure due to zone 7 can lead to risks, but a shell fired with zone 7 ammunition can achieve a higher charge. The ATAGS barrel is designed to handle 440 megapascals of pressure. The pressure handling capacity is meant for the barrel but even the shell is expected to withstand similar levels. Both Bharat Forge and Tata guns have fired over 1,000 rounds using the zone 7 rounds.
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