Friday, 17 May, 2024
By: Yash Gupte
For the first time, a made-in-India howitzer gun was part of the 21-gun salute during the Independence Day celebrations at Red Fort in New Delhi on Monday. The Advanced Towed Artillery Gun (ATAG) was used along with British-made 25-Pounders.
For the first time, a made-in-India howitzer gun was part of the 21-gun salute during the Independence Day celebrations at Red Fort in New Delhi on Monday. The Advanced Towed Artillery Gun (ATAG) was used along with British-made 25-Pounders. Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO) developed the towed artillery gun, which was produced by Bharat Forge and Tata Advanced Systems Limited. According to a statement from the Defense Ministry, the ATAGS's armament system primarily consists of a barrel, breech mechanism, muzzle brake, and recoil mechanism that allow it to fire the 155 mm calibre ammunitions that the Indian Army possesses with a longer range, greater accuracy, and more firepower. As part of the Indian Army's artillery modernization programme, the DRDO has taken over the development of the new generation of weapons. Armament Research and Development Establishment (ARDE) in Pune, Maharashtra is the nodal laboratory of DRDO for design and development of ATAG along with other laboratories of the defense body. The ATAGS is configured with an all electric drive to ensure maintenance free and reliable operations over a longer period of time.
PM Narendra Modi also mentioned about the Howitzer while addressing the nation and spoke about the Atmanirbhar Bharat initiative of the centre during his Independence Day speech. The system is currently undergoing evaluation by Directorate general Quality Assurance (DGQA) touching its final stage before the army starts placing order for it. The ATAGS has come as a great push for the government’s vision in achieving atmanirbharta (Self-reliance) in the defense sector. The defense manufacturing sector has seen some major developments, investments and support from the Government in the recent past. The Defense Acquisition Council (DAC) granted Acceptance of Necessity (AON) to capital acquisition bids totaling Rs. 7,965 crore ($ 1.07 billion) for the modernization and operational needs of the armed services in November 2021, supporting the "Make in India" drive. The government is focusing on making India an export country in the field of defense. Considering the increasing security risks India is facing, the defense manufacturing sector is expected to experience significant expansion. This will increase demand for defense technology. Incentivized by various government reforms, India is quickly ramping up its manufacturing capacity.
The ministry of defense has been focusing on boosting up the defense production in India in different ways. The chart below shows the defense production in India from 2016 to 2022.
Source: IBEF
The defense production in India was at an all time high during 2017-18 at $12.2 Billion. There was a decline in the defense production in 2018-19 and 2019-20. One of the major reasons was the covid-19 pandemic which resulted in the nationwide lockdown for a long period of time and also the disruption in supply chains. But the government once again ramped up its efforts to increase the defense production in India as this is evident from the figures of 2020-21. The defense production increased to $10.9 Billion in the year 2020-21 and it ascended to $11.85 Billion in 2021-22. The Defense ministry has projected defense production worth $25 Billion by 2025. Private defense manufacturing companies, in particular defense equipment manufacturing companies in India, have benefited from this initiative as it created greater demand opportunities. These reforms are helping to meet the Atmanirbhar Bharat objectives.
