Defence ministry inks Rs 7,629 crore contract for 100 more K-9 Vajra-T artillery guns | India News – Times of India

NEW DELHI: The defence ministry on Friday inked a Rs 7,629 crore contract with L&T for the procurement of another 100 K-9 Vajra-T self-propelled tracked gun systems, which can be deployed in high-altitude areas along the frontier with China.
The 100 new K-9 Vajra-T guns, with a strike range of 28-38 km, will add to the 100 such 155mm/52-calibre guns already inducted by the Army under a Rs 4,366 crore deal inked in May 2017.
Originally procured for desert warfare, the Army had to equip some of these guns with “winterized kits” for deployment in eastern Ladakh after the military confrontation erupted with China there in May 2020.
“The 100 new guns, which will be inducted over the next four-five years, will be equipped with cutting-edge technologies. They will be capable delivering long-range lethal fire, with high accuracy and higher rate of fire. They will be able to operate in sub-zero temperature in high-altitude areas to their full potential,” an officer said.
The PM-led cabinet committee on security had cleared the new artillery procurement through the joint venture between L&T and South Korean Hanwha Defence on December 12, as was reported by TOI.
The contract on Friday was inked in the presence of defence secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh, with officials saying it will “catalyse artillery modernisation and enhance overall operational readiness” of the Army.
“This versatile artillery gun, with its cross-country mobility, will play a pivotal role in enhancing the Army’s lethal firepower, enabling deeper strike with precision in all terrains,” an official said.
“The project will generate an employment of more than 9 lakh man-days over a period of 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,” he added.
With lessons being learnt from the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war, in which 80% of the casualties have been due to artillery fire, the Army is progressively stepping up induction of more long-range, high-volume precision firepower in the shape of howitzers, missile, rocket systems and loiter munitions, as reported by TOI earlier.
The around Rs 8,500 crore contract for 307 new indigenous advanced towed artillery gun systems (ATAGS), which have a strike range up to 48-km, for instance, is also set to be inked soon.
Moreover, trials will begin next year for the planned induction of 300 ‘shoot-and-scoot’ mounted gun systems and 400 `versatile’ towed artillery gun systems. Additional procurements of more Dhanush howitzers, Sharang guns and Pinaka multi-launch rocket systems are also in the pipeline.