The Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS), led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has approved a significant ₹7,000 Crores deal to acquire advanced towed artillery gun systems (ATAGS) for the Indian Army. This development marks a major boost for indigenous defence manufacturing capabilities.
The contract, expected to be signed next week, involves the procurement of 307 ATAGS howitzers with a strike range of 45-48 km and 327 gun-towing vehicles to equip 15 artillery regiments. Bharat Forge and Tata Advanced Systems will manufacture these guns, with Bharat Forge producing 60% as the lowest bidder (L-1) and Tata handling the remaining 40%.
Designed and developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), ATAGS feature cutting-edge technology, including “all-electric drive technology,” ensuring maintenance-free and reliable operations over extended periods. The guns have demonstrated excellent accuracy, consistency, mobility, reliability, and automation during trials. They can fire five-round bursts compared to three-round bursts by other foreign artillery systems. The Army plans to induct advanced versions of ATAGS in the future to meet its total requirement of 1,580 units. India has also secured export orders for these guns, highlighting their global competitiveness.
The development of ATAGS began in 2013, followed by rigorous field testing. Winter experiments in Sikkim’s high altitude locations were completed successfully in 2021-22, as were summer fire tests at Pokhran ranges. The continuing Russia-Ukraine conflict has highlighted the necessity of long-range weaponry, pushing the Army to hasten the deployment of artillery units.
In addition to ATAGS, India is aggressively modernising its artillery capabilities. In December 2024, the Ministry of Defence inked a deal for ₹7,629 crore with L&T and South Korea’s Hanwha Defence for 100 K-9 Vajra-T self-propelled tracked cannons with a striking range of 28-38 kilometres. In February 2025, contracts worth ₹10,147 crore were signed for high-explosive rockets and area denial ammunition for the indigenous Pinaka multi-launch rocket systems.
India’s emphasis on indigenous military development follows decades of controversy over imported artillery systems such as Sweden’s Bofors in the 1980s and South Africa’s Denel in 2005. These scandals periodically hampered modernising efforts, but they have now cleared the road for self-reliance in military manufacture.
