Exclusive: Indian Army Getting Long Range ATHOS 2052, Israeli Artillery Guns
Artillery guns play a devastating role on the battlefield as they can maintain sustained rates of fire over prolonged periods turning enemy fortifications in rubbles. Artillery is so important on the battlefield that
Artillery is called God of War. In the coming years, the
Indian Army is likely to induct several new long-range artillery guns and one of them is likely to be sourced from Israel.
Team Guarding India brings you the story of
Israeli ATHOS 2052 that will be
part of Indian Artillery in the future.
Indian Army is
the second largest army on earth which requires a large number of guns. However, after
infamous Bofors scandal of the 1980s, the Indian Army could not get any new artillery gun as Indian politicians developed cold feet on each procurement proposal. Finally, with the induction of
US-made M-777 lightweight howitzer, by a
government to government deal, the ghost of Bofors was put to the grave.
Due to
prolonged neglect, presently Indian Army is having
Soviet M-46 artillery guns which were
designed in the
1960s. After the
Kargil war, the Indian Army prepared Field Artillery Rationalisation Plan which decided to use
155 mm as standard caliber for Indian Artillery. The plan envisaged
procurement of 2,800 to 3,000 155 mm/52-calibre guns and
155 mm/39-calibre lightweight howitzers from different sources by
2027.
To date, the Indian Army has got only
145 M-777 lightweight howitzers from US,
100 K-9 Vajra self-propelled howitzers which are
already deployed at
Galwan standoff. Besides foreign artillery guns, the Indian Army also
ordered 114 indigenous Dhanush guns and 40 x Arjun Catapults. This means the Indian Army will
still need to replace around 2600 artillery guns.
Though
DRDO and Indian Private sector have made some promising designs like
ATAGS and
Bharat-52 long-range guns. However,
to meet the massive shortfall generated through years of political neglect, India will
still need to import some guns from foreign suppliers. Due to this reason, the Indian Army
selected Israeli ATHOS 2052 howitzer.
ATHOS stands for Autonomous Towed Howitzer Ordnance System which is a
155mm/52 caliber long-range artillery gun developed by
Israeli Elbit Systems. ATHOS is next-generation towed gun which is
highly mobile howitzer with
deadly accuracy. ATHOS has been
extensively battle-tested by the Israeli Army and is renowned for its
accuracy, reliability, and ruggedness. It has several advanced features that were developed to meet modern battle requirements.
ATHOS 2052 is an
autonomous and self-maneuverable system that can accurately target enemy locations
40 kilometers away. It has fully computerized systems integrated with
inertial navigation and
aiming systems including a GPS which allows it
automatically to point the gun towards the target without user interference. This feature allows
quick firing of artillery shells.
ATMOS 2052 can fire
3 rounds in 30 seconds in
burst mode,
12 rounds in 3 minutes at intense firing rate, and maintain
sustained fire at the rate of
42 rounds per hour which can overcome any target.
For survivability,
ATHOS is powered by a
diesel engine and can maneuver itself using its own power and specially designed road wheels that give it
shoot and scoot capability. These advanced systems ensure that using 4 to 6 crew members ATHOS 2052 can began firing within minutes.
ATHOS can use any
155mm ammunition and has an
ammunition loader which
enables faster loading of ammunition besides
reducing crew fatigue.
ATHOS has cutting edge electronic systems for
controlling fire,
computation of target data,
inertial land navigation, and
target aiming systems. These systems are integrated into onboard firing computer and gun-laying system which
relies on data from the command post, UAVs, or
even optical backup sights resulting in assured quick-fire support.
However, the Indian Army realized the
biggest advantage of ATHOS was its
price which was not only lower than
French Trajan gun that is a
variant of Nexter gun but also was substantially
lower than indigenous Dhanush 155 mm/42 calibre artillery guns that is being produced state-owned
Ordnance Factory Board (OFB).
Indian Army is presently in
cost negotiations with
Elbit System for a deal that will result in the
procurement of 1580 ATHOS long-range artillery guns valued at
around INR 10000 crores or 1.2 billion USD. Out of these 1580 ATHOS guns,
400 will be directly imported from Israel, and rest
1180 guns will be manufactured in India by Bharat Forge under
transfer of technology.
Interestingly,
Bharat Forge has also partnered with
DRDO for producing
indigenous Advanced Towed Artillery Gun System (ATAGS) that is
expected to enter service in large numbers, estimated to be
more than 1000 artillery guns. One may hope that ATAGS production will also get benefited by ATHOS technology turning them far deadlier.
Team Guarding India hopes that
‘Made in India’ ATHOS will be
inducted soon to serve
alongside ATAGS and Dhanush artillery guns which will ensure the Indian Army has massive firepower advantage over our adversaries.
Indian Army Is getting Long Range ATHOS 2052 from Israeli Artillery Guns from Elbit Systems to fill its long due Howitzers requirements.
guardingindia.com
