Philippine Army test fires Israeli ATMOS truck mounted howitzers.

According to the Philippine News Agency, the Philippine Army's artillery units have test-fired for the first time its newly-acquired Autonomous Truck Mounted Howitzer System (ATMOS) 155mm/52 caliber self-propelled artillery pieces.
Follow Army Recognition on Google News at this link

The Philippine Army has test-fired its Autonomous Truck Mounted Howitzer System (ATMOS) 155mm/52 caliber self-propelled artillery pieces from April 6-8 at the Fort Magsaysay Military Reservation Area in Palayan City, Nueva Ecija. (Picture source: Army Artillery Regiment)

In a statement issued on April 17, Army spokesperson Col. Xerxes Trinidad said the live-fire exercises were held from April 6 to 8 at the Fort Magsaysay Military Reservation Area in Palayan City, Nueva Ecija. The Army Artillery Regiment’s 1st and 2nd Self Propelled Batteries and the Artillery Training School (ATS) participated in the drill.

The Army received 12 ATMOS howitzer units in December 2021 from Israeli defense company Elbit Systems. The self-propelled artillery pieces are procured under the Horizon 2 of the Revised Armed Forces of the Philippines Modernization Plan. These howitzers will augment the existing 155mm towed howitzers being operated.

The ATMOS 2000 is a 155mm truck-mounted wheeled self-propelled howitzer that was designed by the Israeli company SOLTAM Systems as a private venture. The first information about the vehicle was released in 2001. It is an enhanced version of the standard ATMOS. ATMOS 2000 has been developed by Soltam Systems is aimed mainly at the export market, although it has already been demonstrated to the Israel Defence Force. The ATMOS 2000 is now manufactured and marketed by the Israeli company Elbit Systems.

The development of the ATMOS 2000 was based on a 155mm 52 caliber cannon mounted on 6x6 Tatra truck chassis, built under license in India. The artillery system was also developed with other armament solutions including the Russian M-46 130mm gun, D-30 122mm cannon, and also 155mm 39, 45, and 52 caliber barrels. Elbit Systems has also developed different variants using other truck chassis in 6x6 and 8x8 configurations. The ATMOS is now in service with several countries including Azerbaijan, Botswana, Cameroon, the Philippines, Thailand, Uganda, and Zambia. There is also a Romanian version, called ATROM that uses the same 155mm Soltam gun on a locally developed ROMAN 26.360 DFAEG 6x6 truck chassis. This project was put on hold after three prototypes were built. Poland has also developed the Kryl 155mm howitzer, using a domestically made version of the ATMOS 2000 mounted on a Polish-made 6x6 Jelcz 663.32 truck chassis.

Elbit Systems Soltam ATMOS 2000 155mm wheeled self-propelled howitzer displayed at Eurosatory 2014. (Picture source: Army Recognition)