Indian Army to get new batch of K-9 Vajra self-propelled howitzers.

On 20 January, a day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi took a ride in the home-made K-9 Vajra self-propelled howitzer, Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said the artillery would get 10 more Howitzers in the next month.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a K-9 Vajra self-propelled howitzer on 19 January 2019 (Picture source: Kerala Kaumudi)

With the M777A2, the K-9 Vajra is one of the two new howitzers to have been inducted into the Army after a gap of more than 30 years in the shadow of the Bofors gun scandal. "The induction of the gun into the Army was a big achievement after a gap of 30 years... In the next month, the Army will receive a new batch of these guns," Defence Minister Sitharaman said in reply to an ANI query.

This is one of the fastest deals in terms of the time taken. Larsen & Toubro had won a contract to supply 100 units of the K9 Vajra-T 155 mm/52 calibre tracked self-propelled howitzers to the Indian Army in 2017.

The K-9 Vajra consist of a 155-mm, 52-calibre howitzer, mounted on a tracked vehicle. It is highly mobile and can keep up with tank columns in the open desert. The Indian army wants this gun for its mechanized strike corps, which launches rapid thrusts deep into enemy territory.  The K9 Vajra is a variant oft he South-Korean-made K9 155mm self-propelled howitzer especially designed for operation in the desert areas bordering Pakistan.

The strike corps' T-90S tanks currently outpace their artillery guns, which are towed by wheeled vehicles. This constrains the tank spearheads to fight without artillery support at key moments in the advance. With the K-9 Vajra mounted on a tracked vehicle that keeps up with tanks, the armour spearheads would be assured of heavy fire support.

The contract falls under the "Buy Global" category of procurement, which provides for over-the-counter sales of ready-built defence equipment. Despite that, STW has partnered L&T to ensure that a full 50 per cent of the weapon system is built in India. L&T plans to build 13 major sub-systems of the K-9 Vajra at its facilities in Pune, Talegaon and Powai. This includes the fire control system, ammunition handling system, muzzle velocity radar, and the nuclear, biological and chemical (NBC) system. With the acquisition subject to 30 per cent offset liability, the high percentage of domestic manufacture meets that requirement easily.

The army requires at least three K-9 Vajra regiments for each of its three armoured divisions, and another regiment for each of the independent armoured brigades in the three strike corps. The eventual requirement, therefore, is of 12 regiments of tracked SP guns, ie, 252 K-9 Vajra systems.