Bhubaneswar: The user trial of indigenously developed Advanced Towed Artillery Gun System (ATAGS) was successfully completed at Chandipur in Balasore district on Saturday.
Project Director of ATAGS, Shailendra Gade said the working trials of the Howitzer cannon has been completed and it will be inducted into the Indian Army soon.
The final trial of the artillery gun system developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) was performed at its Proof and Experimental Establishment in Chandipur. Weighing 18 tonne, it has capacity to hit a target 48 kms away.
Gade said this gun system is superior to any cannon in the world, including Bofors. It also includes the Israeli gun system ATHOS, considered to be quite fast. “We have tested this cannon at Sikkim near China border and Pokhran near Pakistan border. More than two thousand shells were fired from it,” he said.
Comparing ATAGS with the rest of the world’s cannons, Gadeh said this cannon can fire five rounds in a minute while other guns can fire only three in such a time. Its range is 48 km at most while Bofors’ range is 32 km. It can be transported anywhere fast. It is very reliable and strong, he added.
