New Delhi, 8 July 2025:
The first regiment of the Indian army with the Advanced Towed Artillery Gun System (ATAGS) will deliver in February 2027, a significant milestone in contemporary modernisation of artillery, army officials have noticed.
In March a 7,000 crore contract was cleared by the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) concerning procurement of 307 ATAGS guns together with 327 high mobility gun towing vehicles which were to be deployed in 15 regiments. During trials in 2017, 155mm/52 calibre howitzer ATAGS developed by DRDO in collaboration with Bharat Forge and Tata Advanced Systems had a world record range of 48 km.
In the Ministry of Defence (MoD) statement, it was observed that the contract, which was awarded to the private industry through competitive bids, is the first significant acquisition of towed guns by the MoD but of the private sector. It pointed out that the superior fire power of ATAGS, due to its exceptional lethality, will serve to enhance firepower in the Army by providing precision and long range extinction capabilities to the Army. Its system can be deployed quickly, can be placed autonomously and can be merged with digital fire control system.
The induction of ATAGS is also being termed as the kick start to the Indian gradually advancing modernisation in its artillery artillery with its plan to acquire more than 2,800 155 mm guns by 2027 under the Field Artillery Rationalisation Plan. By the end of 2024, 8 per cent of that target will have been fulfilled .
The Russia Ukraine war that has intensified the need to acquire the latest in long range weapons artillery also helped to escalate the urgency of the procurement. Remarkably, foreign interest has also taken part into ATAGS development and lastly, as in late 2023, following its own orders, Armenia is reported to have taken part in the development of ATAGS as well.
Though the CCS clearance approval arrived in March, the final conclusion of the contract was accepted in the same month later on. Defence spokespeople note that the formation of the first regiment should be complete by February 2027, after the deliveries start to arrive in phases and regiment formation should follow.
ATAGS is much lighter than similar systems, including 12 tonnes and a crew of six to eight people. It has automatic loading system, quick fire and sustained rate of fire and it can be linked into real time command, which makes it to be one of the most advanced towed howitzers in the world.
The induction of ATAGS should also substantially minimise the over reliance on the legacy 105 mm and 130 mm systems as well as imported artillery. It also enhances the Make in India project and the ability to be self reliant in defence production. The ATAGS regiments will be progressively deployed as delivery is made in the high altitude, and the border areas and further strengthen deterrence along the Line of Control and Line of Actual Control.
The success of ATAGS during trials and in actual use in the field may be determining the amount of contracts and overall course of artillery modernisation in India. The Indian Army will have a chance to utilise local ingenuity in fending off emerging security challenges since it is on schedule to have an operational regiment by February, 2027.
