DRDO's ATAGS to give indigenous 21-gun salute on Aug 15; All about the India-made howitzer

As India marks 75 years of independence - Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav, a Made-in-India Advanced Towed Artillery Gun System (ATAGS) howitzer will be used to give a 21-gun salute for the first time in the history of the country.

The indigenous gun designed and developed by Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) will give the 21-gun salute from the Red Fort on August 15. It will be used along with the "25 pounder British Guns" that are traditionally fired till now.

What is ATAGS?

According to DRDO, ATAGS is a large calibre gun system with the capacity to program and fire future Long Range Guided Munitions (LRGM) to achieve accuracy and deep strike. The system is configured with an all-electric drive that will ensure maintenance-free and reliable operation over long periods of time. The system is currently in the advanced stage of development.

All you need to know about ATAGS:

• DRDO initiated the ATAGS project in 2013 to replace older guns in service in the Army with the latest 155mm artillery gun. 
• The Armament Research and Development Establishment (ARDE) partnered with two private companies Tata Advanced Systems Limited and Bharat Forge Limited for manufacturing specialised gun.
• ATAFS has a firing range of 48 km and modern features like quick deployability, high mobility, auxiliary power mode, automatic command and control system with night capability in direct-fire mode and an advanced communication system.
• ATAGS fires the Bimodular charge system in Zone 7. It is worth noting that no other gun in the work is known to have that capability. 
• The 155mm calibre Gun system is compatible with C4I systems like the ACCCS (Artillery Combat Command and Control System) called Shakti for technical fire control, deployment management, fire planning and operational logistics management of the Indian Army.

Sangam Sinha, DG (R&M), DRDO, said that the ATAGS howitzer is the first in the world to have a 45 km range. "It's self-propelled and can be towed easily. This time it will be included in the 21-Gun salute and will surely be a game changer," he said.

(With ANI inputs)