Ministry of Defence signs contracts worth ₹6,900 crore with Bharat Forge, Tata for 307 indigenous artillery guns

Ministry of Defence signs contracts with Bharat Forge and TASL for ATAGS, boosting indigenous defence manufacturing and employment.

The Ministry of Defence signed contracts with Bharat Forge Limited and Tata Advanced Systems Limited (TASL) for the procurement of 155mm, 52 calibre Advanced Towed Artillery Gun Systems (ATAGS) and high‐mobility 6×6 gun towing vehicles at a total cost of about ₹ 6,900 crore on Wednesday (March 26, 2025). With this signing, contracts worth ₹ 1.40 lakh crore have been secured by the Ministry for capital procurement to date in the current Financial Year 2024–25, a statement said.

The contract for 307 guns was divided in a 60:40 ratio between Bharat Forge, declared the lowest bidder, and TASL (184 and 123 guns respectively). The contracts were signed in the presence of Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh at South Block of the Secretariat Building.

The ATAGS was indigenously designed and developed by the Armament Research and Development Establishment (ARDE) — the Pune-based laboratory of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) — in partnership with Bharat Forge and TASL.

During the contract signing, the Project Director of ATAGS at ARDE, Pune — who played a pivotal role in realising the project — was felicitated by the Defence Secretary in recognition of his immense contribution, the Ministry statement said.

The 155mm/52 calibre ATAGS will replace the ageing and smaller calibre guns and enhance the artillery capabilities of the Indian Army, the Ministry said. The Army has embarked on a modernisation drive to convert all artillery guns to 155mm. “Being the first major procurement of towed guns from the private sector by the Indian Army, the project will provide a boost to the Indian gun manufacturing industry in particular and the indigenous defence manufacturing ecosystem as a whole,” the statement added.

Officials stated that with over 65% of its components sourced domestically, dependency on foreign imports would be significantly reduced, with domestic sourcing expected to increase further. Key indigenously produced subsystems include the barrel, muzzle brake, breech mechanism, firing and recoil system, and ammunition handling mechanism.

The project is also expected to generate substantial employment, with an estimated 20 lakh man-days created across various industries, as well as expanding defence export opportunities.