The proposed acquisition would be the largest artillery procurement by the Indian Army in decades, and would take L&T's total K9 Vajra production order past 500 guns.
The Indian Army is preparing to seek government approval for the purchase of over 300 additional K9 Vajra self-propelled howitzers in a programme valued at approximately ₹23,000 crore.
Sources in the defence and security establishment said that the proposal is expected to come before the Defence Procurement Board (DPB) this week.
If approved, the order would go to Larsen & Toubro (L&T), which assembles the K9 Vajra in the country under licence production from South Korea’s Hanwha Aerospace. It would also represent the single largest artillery procurement the army has undertaken in decades, and would push L&T’s cumulative K9 Vajra production mandate well past 500 guns.
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Background and earlier contracts
A 155mm/52-calibre tracked howitzer, the K9 Vajra is capable of engaging targets beyond 40km. In 2017, the India Army inked its first deal with L&T for 100 guns at a cost of around ₹4,500 crore. Deliveries were completed ahead of schedule in 2021, and the guns were deployed primarily in desert sectors along the western border.
In December 2023, the defence ministry signed a follow-on contract for a further 100 guns at roughly ₹7,600 crore.
The rationale
The acquisition is driven by the army’s need to strengthen long-range firepower on two fronts simultaneously. Tracked self-propelled guns offer a significant advantage over towed artillery in mobility, crew protection and the ability to shoot and move quickly, a critical requirement in both the Thar Desert in the west and, increasingly, in high-altitude terrain along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) with China.
Trials of a cold-weather-adapted variant of the K9 Vajra were conducted in Ladakh, and the system was reported to have performed satisfactorily in those conditions. The expanded procurement is expected to address deployment gaps in both theatres.
