The ATAGS, displayed in India's DefExpo 2022, can fire six rounds in 30 seconds to a range of 45 km. With the acquisition of ATAGS, the Indian Army seeks to provide direct fire support to the artillery units at the northern and eastern borders with China and the western border with Pakistan. (Janes/Kapil Kajal)
India's Defence Acquisition Council (DAC), chaired by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, has approved the procurement of advanced towed artillery gun system (ATAGS), along with high-mobility vehicles (HMVs) and gun towing vehicles (GTVs) for the Indian Army.
The Indian Ministry of Defence (MoD) said in a statement that the procurement, approved through the provision of an ‘Acceptance of Necessity' (AoN) status under the ‘Buy (Indian)' category, includes 155 mm/52 calibre ATAGS. The acquisition is a part of the AoNs granted for capital acquisition in the fiscal year (FY) 2022/23 worth over INR2.71 trillion (USD32.77 billion).
A senior Indian Army official told Janes that the capability is required to provide direct fire support to artillery units along the country's northern borders with China.
In December 2022, the Indian Army outlined detailed requirements supporting its acquisition of 155 mm/52 calibre towed gun systems. In a request for information (RFI) document issued by the army, the service said that the guns will be employed in plains, mountains, and deserts for the execution of artillery tasks.
The RFI said that the weight of the guns should be less than 15 tonne, and it should fire all in-service ammunition and should have the capability to operate on existing roads and track networks at India's northern and western borders.
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