New Delhi: Artillery is one of the most important arms of any army and is often the key to many successful operations. The ground warfare is highly influenced by artillery as it provides the indirect fire support, accurate target acquisition and subsequent destruction of enemies. To provide this distinct advantage to the defence forces, DRDO took up a project of developing a 155 mm/52 calibre Towed Artillery Gun.
After successful trials, the same has been inducted in the Indian Army. To provide necessary mobility to the towed gun so as to meet the challenges of mobile warfare, Vehicles Research and Development Establishment (VRDE), Ahmednagar has undertaken the project – Mounted Gun System (MGS).
VRDE has designed and developed MGS based on the developed Towed Artillery Gun System. The system has been developed on solo 8×8 high mobility vehicle integrated with stabilisation system for providing stability during firing.
The state-of-the-art systems like blast resistant cabin, leg type electro-mechanical stabilisers, automatic ammunition handling system, on-board silent electric power system, integrated electronic controller, RLG based navigation system, integrated fire control system, have been integrated on to the MGS. The indigenously developed MGS is at par with the contemporary systems available worldwide and can fire 155 mm NATO standard ammunition.
After the design and development of the system, to ascertain the mobility parameters, technical trials were conducted at NCAT (VRDE) and also on beaten desert track and cross country track at PFFR. All the designed parameters were achieved during these trials.
Firing trials of MGS were carried out at Pokhran Field Firing Ranges (PFFR), during September 2023. Various tests viz. Minimum and Maximum Range Firing, Series I & II – Consistency Firing, Arc of Fire, and Direct Firing were carried out during the trials at various Sectors of PFFR. All the tests were conducted considering various firing angles in elevation and azimuth and also all zones of firing.
