K9-Vajra : Procurement
The Defence Ministry has started the process for the procurement of 100 more K9-Vajra tracked self-propelled howitzers.
- The 100th gun was delivered to the Army in 2021
- The K9 Vajra is a 155 mm, 52-calibre tracked self-propelled howitzer (a short gun for firing shells on high trajectories at low velocities) built in India by Larsen & Toubro (L&T) with technology transferred from South Korean defence major Hanwha Defense based on its K9 Thunder.
- The K9 Thunder platform is made of all-welded steel armour protection material.
- The K9 gun has been developed under the ‘Buy Global’ programme of the Defence Procurement Procedure (DPP) where foreign companies are allowed to participate.
- The K9 Vajra was mainly bought for use in deserts, but the India-China standoff prompted them to be deployed in the mountains as well.
- To ensure that these systems performed optimally in the extreme cold weather conditions of the mountains, the Army also procured winterisation kits for the regiment deployed.
