Indigenous artillery gun passes high-altitude winter test in Sikkim

The month-long winter trials of the indigenously-developed 155mm/52 calibre Advanced Towed Artillery Gun System (ATAGS) have achieved the desired results, an official from the Defence Research and Development Organisation has said.

The weapon system is a joint effort by the DRDO and the private sector.

The trials were conducted by a group of scientists from the city-based Armament Research and Development Establishment (ARDE) and army officers at an elevation of 11,000 feet in Sikkim. “Scientists and soldiers tested the gun in extremely cold conditions. It delivered positive firing results even in -20 degree Celsius,” the DRDO official said. The official said the gun’s mobility, a crucial factor in high-altitude warfare, was favourable too. “All mobility parameters were checked during the trials,” the official said. Last year, the gun’s desert trials were held from August 24 to September 7. Results from these trials were positive too.

The ATAGS has an all electric drive, which is better than traditional hydraulic drives of other towed guns. The electric drives of the ATAGS allows better control while opening and closing of the breech mechanism and while ramming the next round into the firing chamber.

Sources added that the gun is expected to become a part of the Indian Army by the year 2020.