Defence Ministry inks ₹6,900 crore contracts with Bharat forge, TATA for artillery gun systems, vehicles procurement

The Ministry of Defence (MoD) on Wednesday signed contracts with Bharat Forge Ltd and Tata Advanced Systems Ltd for the procurement of advanced towed artillery gun systems (ATAGS) and high mobility gun towing vehicles, respectively, read an official statement.

According to the official statement, uploaded on PIB, the Defence Ministry gave a contract of ₹6,900 crore, under which it signed total contracts worth ₹1.40 lakh crore for capital procurement till date in the current financial year.

Significance of the current procurement deal

The Defence Ministry said that the 155 mm/52 calibre ATAGS will replace the vintage and smaller calibre guns and enhance the artillery capabilities of the Indian Army.

This latest move by the government marks a significant milestone in the modernisation of the artillery regiments, enhancing operational readiness.

Renowned for its exceptional lethality, ATAGS will play a crucial role in bolstering the Army's firepower by enabling precise and long-range strikes, added the ministry.

The project director of ATAGS from DRDO’s Armament Research and Development Establishment, Pune, was felicitated by the defence secretary as an honour for his immense contribution during the contract signing.

Aatmanirbhar Bharat:

The government stated that the project will provide a boost to the Indian gun manufacturing industry in India and the indigenous defence manufacturing ecosystem as a whole.

This project is expected to bolster the Aatmanirbhar Bharat initiative by significantly contributing to employment generation and economic growth in consonance with the Make-in-India initiative.

DAC clears capital acquisition proposals:

Earlier on 20 March, the Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) approved the capital acquisition of several pieces of military hardware worth more than ₹54,000 crore, which include airborne early-warning and control-aircraft systems, torpedoes, and engines for T-90 tanks.

Apart from this, the DAC also approved the guidelines for reducing the timelines at various stages of the capital acquisition process to make it ‘faster, effective and efficient.’

With agency inputs.