Pune-based Bharat Forge has emerged as the lowest bidder for the Indian Army’s contract for domestic production of 307 Advanced Towed Artillery Gun System (ATAGS) howitzers.
Under the Rs 6,000-crore contract, Bharat Forge will produce 60 percent of the total artillery, while the second-lowest bidder, Tata Advanced Systems Limited, will produce the remaining 40 percent, senior defence sources informed India Today.
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Bharat Forge and Tata Advanced Systems will be the production partners with the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) to develop the howitzers, a type of artillery weapon that falls between a cannon and a mortar and is designed to fire shells at medium to high trajectories.
After the bids are opened, the Indian Army will place orders for 307 howitzers, subject to clearance from the Cabinet Committee on Security.
The ATAGS howitzers will be deployed along the borders with China and Pakistan. The Indian Army has conducted trials of the guns at different altitudes and in various terrains, and the weapon has been upgraded based on feedback from users, officials said.
The DRDO has shared the technological know-how of the howitzer with Tata and Bharat Forge. The two private firms will supply the system to the Army, including more than 320 high-mobility vehicles. Trials of the 155mm/52-calibre ATAGS howitzers were completed at the Pokhran Field Firing Range (PFFR).
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