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| India's new ATAGS artillery gun during early test firing |
Apart from its capability to fire ammunition at almost 48 kilometers, India’s locally developed ATAGS is the world’s only gun with a six-round “automated magazine” that fires a six-round burst in just 30 seconds.
New Delhi (Sputnik) — India’s locally manufactured advanced towed artillery gun system (ATAGS) has created a record in ammunition firing during a user trial conducted at Pokhran in the western state of Rajasthan. The 155-millimeter 52-calibre howitzer fired three shells out to a record distance of approximately 47.2 kilometers in comparison to 40-45 kilometer by other such systems currently operational in the world.
Defense sources told Sputnik that this is, perhaps, the longest distance covered by an artillery gun system. “The system fired three shells at more than 47 kilometers using special, long-range ammunition called high explosive base bleed in Pokhran,” defense sources told to Sputnik.
The ATAGS has been jointly developed by state-owned Defence Research & Development Organisation (DRDO), Ordnance Factory Board, and two private defense firms Tata-SED and Bharat. Two prototypes were developed and tested in the eastern coast of Odisha last December. The 25-liter chamber volume of ATAGS allows higher propellant charge to fire ammunition at longer range in comparison to contemporary artillery having 23-liter chamber volume. The system has all electric drive for ammunition handling, breach opening and breach closing. The all-electric drive provides much-needed reliability to the system in comparison to maintenance-intensive hydraulics. Six round magazine of the autoloader which facilitates rapid fire of ammunition is another feature which makes ATAGS unique against its contemporaries.
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| South Korean K9 Self-Propelled Howitzer |
The Indian Army had procured Swedish Bofors in 1990’s — a deal that triggered a huge controversy involving political big-wigs accused of receiving kickbacks from the supplier. Purchase of howitzers was put on hold since then until earlier this year when the Indian Army received the first tranche of American ultra light howitzer M-777.
The delay of almost thirty years posed a major road block to the Indian Army’s field artillery rationalization plan (FARP). According to the plan, Indian Army needs over one thousand five hundred 155 mm 52 caliber towed howitzer and eight hundred and fourteen mounted gun system of the same caliber. A lone contract for hundred K-9 Vajra tracked self-propelled artillery gun has been awarded to private firm Larsen and Toubro which has collaborated with South Korean Samsung Techwin for the contract.
This story first appeared on Sputnik & is reposted here with permission.