New Delhi: Kalyani Group’s Bharat Forge has entered into contract negotiations with the defence ministry which plans to procure 307 indigenous Advanced Towed Artillery Gun Systems (ATAGS) from the company.
“After completion of the due technical evaluation process and commercial bids opening, the contract negotiation procedure between Bharat Forge Ltd and the Indian Ministry of Defence is currently underway,” the company informed the stock exchange Tuesday.
Defence sources said that while the 155mm/52 calibre ATAGS was developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) in collaboration with Bharat Forge and the TATA group, Bharat Forge emerged as the lowest bidder after bids were opened at the end of October.
Sources said that according to the plan, 60 percent of the contract will go to Bharat Forge and 40 percent to the TATAs if they agree to supply at the price pitched by Forge.
Sources also said the negotiations would hopefully be completed this fiscal.
Interestingly, Bharat Forge had already bagged a contract from Armenia for ATAGS in 2022. Following their successful induction and performance, Armenia is now in talks with the company for a larger order.
However, as ThePrint reported last year, it’s not the indigenous Dhanush or the ATAGS, but the new 155 mm/52 calibre Towed Gun Systems (TGS) that’s earmarked to be the mainstay gun of Indian artillery in the future.
The Army is looking at a much lighter and more agile TGS, with more automation than the ATAGS.
A request for information (RFI) sent out in December 2022 had said the weight of the TGS should preferably be less than 15 tonnes. In comparison to this, the ATAGS weighs over 18 tonnes.
Army’s towed gun saga
The process for acquiring towed guns began in 2001 as part of the Army’s Field Artillery Rationalisation Plan (FARP), which was drawn up in 1999.
Under FARP, the procurement of 1,580 pieces of 155 mm/52 calibre Towed Artillery Gun Systems was envisaged along with additional numbers of self-propelled (tracked/wheeled) guns, mounted gun systems and ultra-light Howitzers. Multiple requests for proposal (RFPs) were issued for the towed guns.
In the last attempt under the UPA government, Israel’s Elbit along with France’s Nexter participated. The deal was for the supply of 400 guns and indigenous production of the remaining 1,180 guns by Ordnance Factory Board (OFB), under a full transfer-of-technology (TOT) process.
In March 2019, following what was meant to be an “field trial cum evaluation process” spread over several years—which saw many ups and downs—Elbit Systems was declared the lowest bidder.
However, the DRDO went on record to oppose any import plans, contending that ATAGS was better than Elbit’s ATHOS guns, touting it to be the gun of the future.
But the Army pitched for 400 of these guns (for 20 regiments) to be procured from Elbit to “overcome operational voids in the medium artillery in high altitude areas along the northern borders”, citing tensions at the Line of Actual Control (LAC).
The deal did not go through due to strong opposition from the DRDO and local industry.
The TGS, however, will open up opportunities for both Elbit and Nexter to take part through partnerships with Indian firms for the gun to be manufactured in India.
As reported, Elbit had earlier written to India’s Ministry of Defence stating that in case it preferred to acquire only the first 400 towed guns, the related cost corresponding to TOT could be deducted from the total contract price.
In the letter, Elbit Systems offered the TOT for future 1,180 guns as an option for India, at the same cost as mentioned in the commercial offer.
Elbit also said it has finalised the approach and strategy to achieve 70 percent indigenisation within the contract of the first 400 towed guns, starting from the first set of guns.
Also read: As Army puts in request for towed artillery guns, Israeli ATHOS is back in race for mega deal
ATAGS was developed quickly but procedures dragged
The ATAGS programme was greenlighted in 2012 by the Artillery Directorate of the Indian Army even though plans were already afoot to buy a foreign gun under buy-and-make category.
To meet FARP requirements, DRDO initiated feasibility study and other pre-project activities for design and development of the 155 mm/ 52 cal Towed Artillery Gun System in 2009.
In September 2012, a mission mode project titled ‘Design and Development of 155 mm x 52 Cal (ATAGS)’ was sanctioned to DRDO’s Armament Research and Development Establishment.
While the gun was developed fairly quickly and was even showcased at the 68th Republic Day parade in 2017, it went through extensive trials and procedures. This, even though the Army kept pitching for the Israeli gun system.
In 2021, ThePrint reported on the extensive trials being done of the ATAGS and how the gun system had performed.
ATAGS is also the first indigenous gun to participate in the 21-gun salute alongside the British origin 25 pounder as part of 76th Independence Day celebrations at Red Fort in 2022.
The ATAGS’ range with extended range sub-bore boat tail (ERFB BT) ammunition is 35 km and with ERFB BB (Base Bleed) ammunition is 45 km. The ATAGS has actually fired at a range of 47 KMS in 2017.
(Edited by Tikli Basu)
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