Defence ministry signs ₹7.6k-cr deal with L&T for Vajra artillery guns

New Delhi: The defence ministry on Friday signed a ₹7,629-crore contract with Larsen & Toubro (L&T) for 100 more self-propelled K9 Vajra-T guns that will be manufactured locally with technology transfer from South Korean firm Hanwha Techwin.

The procurement of the 155mm/52 calibre guns will catalyse the artillery modernisation and enhance the overall operational readiness of the Indian Army, the defence ministry said.

“This versatile artillery gun, with its cross-country mobility, will play a pivotal role in enhancing the firepower of the Indian Army, enabling deeper strike with precision and its lethal firepower will bolster the capability of artillery in all terrains,” the ministry said in a statement.

This is a repeat order for the K9 Vajra-T guns under the under Buy (Indian) category. The army has so far inducted 100 such guns under a 2017 contract worth $720 million, and several of them have been deployed in the Ladakh sector after carrying out upgrades to enable operations in mountains.

The guns were originally bought for a desert role.

The gun, equipped with cutting-edge technology, can deliver long-range lethal fires with high accuracy and higher rate of fire, and will be able to operate in sub-zero temperature in high-altitude areas to its full potential, the ministry added.

“The project will generate an employment of more than 9 lakh man-days over four years and encourage active participation of various Indian industries including MSMEs. The project will be a proud flag-bearer of ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’ in consonance with the ‘Make-in-India’ initiative.”

The deal for the K9 Vajra-T guns has put the spotlight on the army’s artillery modernisation.

The army plans to enhance its firepower, with a greater emphasis on mobility, precision attacks, range, quick strikes and survivability as it ramps up efforts to buy an array of weapons, including guns, rocket systems and missiles, as previously reported by HT.

The lynchpin of this capability boost, which will cost thousands of crores, is a five-pronged strategy evolved after an assessment of what the artillery regiments need for battlefield supremacy.

The strategy hinges on equipping all regiments with advanced 155mm artillery gun systems, inducting missiles and rockets with longer ranges and precision, lethal ammunition, reorganisation of surveillance and target acquisition units, and shortening the sensor-to-shooter loop for swift detection and destruction of targets.

L&T is also associated with a key ongoing tank project.

Also Read: Defence ministry inks ₹13,500 crore deal with HAL for 12 Su-30 fighters

The private sector firm and the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) have jointly developed India’s new light tank Zorawar, designed for rapid deployment and high mobility in the mountains. The army has a requirement for 354 light tanks.

On December 12, the ministry announced that the tank achieved a “major milestone” by firing several rounds with accuracy at different ranges at an altitude of more than 4,200m in the Ladakh sector. The development came three months after the tank fired for the first time at the Mahajan firing range near Bikaner.

The user trials could take 12 to 18 months as the army will test the performance of the tank in summer, winter and high altitude before it can go into production. The tank is expected to be ready for induction into service in 2027, strengthening the army’s posture against the Chinese forces along the contested Line of Actual Control.