India goes great guns to rejuvenate artillery
The MoD has approved the acquisition of 150 Advanced Towed Artillery Gun Systems (ATAGS) of 155mm L/52 calibre from the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), valued at around $500 million.
The trials of prototypes from two private companies, Tata Power Strategic Engineering Division and the Kalyani Group, are complete, with the howitzers firing shells 47km at the Pokhran test range and in high altitudes.
Once 20 guns are received from the DRDO, then machining and finishing facilities have to be invested at the manufacturers’ own cost. Each gun costs around $3.3 million.
Though overweight at 16t, efforts
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