The Indian Army is set to test a new mounted gun system (MGS) designed to fire six rounds in a minute and reposition in just 85 seconds, a shoot-and-scoot capability meant to dodge counter-fire and boost battlefield survivability.
Developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), the 155mm/52-caliber howitzer is mounted on an 8×8 high-mobility truck and has a strike range of over 45 kilometers (28 miles).
The first trial proved highly frustrating to India’s DRDO, as usual. Indian-made ammo exploded inside the turret during the trial. A DRDO spokesperson told Global Defense Corp on condition of anonymity that the turret cannot handle the high temperature produced during the test firing of the ammo. The accuracy of the ammo is also questionable due to the stability of the 8×8 high-mobility truck.
It is also reportedly capable of operating in desert and high-altitude environments, delivering accurate and consistent fire.
The MGS is based on the Advanced Towed Artillery Gun System already being acquired under a $825 million deal.
While the weapon itself remains the same, the MGS introduces key mobility features: shock-absorbing stabilizers, a blast-resistant armored cabin, onboard electric power, and integrated digital fire controls.
DRDO has licensed manufacturing rights to Bharat Forge, which will produce the system domestically with up to 85 percent indigenous components.
The army has written to the DRDO’s Ahmednagar-based Vehicles Research and Development Establishment (VRDE), asking it to make the mounted gun system (MGS) available for extensive trials in different terrains and weather conditions, VRDE chief GRM Rao said at a briefing on the weapon’s capabilities and how it stacks up against similar systems in service worldwide including French Caesar and Israeli ATMOS 2000 systems cannot be confirmed yet.
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