Indigenously developed ATAGS weapons to scare China; India approves ₹7,000 crore deal

NEW DELHI: India has approved a Rs 7,000 crore defence deal to buy the indigenously developed ATAGS (Advanced Towed Artillery Gun System) howitzers. The Cabinet Committee on Defence (CCD) has approved the purchase of 307 howitzers for the Army. The deal will be signed next week.

It will be deployed along the China border, including Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh, once it becomes part of the army. The gun was developed by DRDO and Indian companies Bharat Forge and Tata Advanced Systems under the 'Make in India' initiative.

This is the first indigenously designed and manufactured 155 mm gun. The gun was manufactured under the ATAGS project that was launched in 2013. These will be the replacements for the existing 105 mm and 130 mm guns.

Barrel, muzzle brake, breech mechanism, firing and recoil system, navigation, muzzle velocity radar, sensors, etc. are indigenously designed.

• 48 km firing range
• Two-wheeled towing vehicle
• 52-calibre long barrel
• No dependence on foreign spare parts.