Army Prepares for 100 More K9 Vajra Howitzers to Boost Defences Along China Border

The Indian Army is on the brink of a substantial artillery upgrade as the government prepares to approve the procurement of an additional 100 K9 Vajra tracked, self-propelled howitzers.

The decision, expected to be finalized in a cabinet committee meeting this month, will significantly enhance India's firepower capabilities, particularly along the sensitive border with China.

This repeat order comes in the wake of the successful delivery of the initial 100 K9 Vajras by Larsen & Toubro (L&T) in 2022.

Built in India under a technology transfer agreement with South Korean defence firm Hanwha Defense, these howitzers were initially designed for desert warfare.

However, their deployment in the high-altitude Ladakh region during the 2020 standoff with China showcased their versatility. The Army subsequently procured winterization kits to ensure the howitzers operate seamlessly in extreme cold conditions.

The acquisition of 100 more K9 Vajras aligns with India's defence procurement policy, which permits repeat orders up to the quantity of the original purchase.

The new howitzers are projected to be delivered in phases, with the final units expected to join the Army's arsenal by 2028.

 

[Calvin]

The army needs at least 2000 units...both in 155mm guns as well as Rocket artillery...current numbers are insufficient.. look at the frequency and amount of artillery units lost in the Russo-Ukrainian war... the manufacturing time for these units is not small so the arm need units to field as well as to be kept in reserve. Without modern mobile artillery we would be doing our boys in uniform major harm as they need modern and reliable equipment to fight with.. looking to domestic suppliers mostly ends in long delays, small quantities due to limited production capacity, and poor quality equipment, and India cannot afford waste in any form ... be it time or money.

 

[Rinku Pandey]

Reason for buy so few rafales was that france was asking for too much money. Price Negotiations did not go well for india and so we had no choice but to reduce our order

If you want cutting edge you need money.

 

[Sandeep]

Yes, the Bhim SPG was better as having longer range and built on Arjun's chassis. Just killed with false complaint. Further, if it was a local product and not been able to do high altitudes it would have never been ordered. Let s feel shame a Indian designed and developed product was killed, but a foreign product that did not pass high altitude trials was selected. B . J P. lacks in logic, still licks s#t, because it cannot change the awari anti-Hindu education that Mullah Nehru and his Khilafat movement education minister made. .

We have installed some 40 artillery guns on a Arjun chassis for research and development.

 

[Anant]

Wrong. IA did not ever use towed artillery and this was the first trial. How would IA be so confident to ask for 300 pieces of something it has never used? This is just fake news and lies

You probably mean to say that the Indian Army has never used self-propelled artillery before. Even with that, your statement is incorrect.

India operated 80 FV433 Abbot SPAs between 1967 and 2016. India also had a very small number (around 20) of 2S1 Gvozdika SPAs between the late 1970s and the late 2000s.

 

[Anant]

In Future South koreans(License holder) if allow permission to export then in mutual interest there is possibility of export.

If they permit us to export, we can surely do that. Whether or not that will happen is up for debate, though.

 

[Victor]

First benefit in having a 2 year wait is you know very well by now the production quality of 1st 100 units. What are common pain points, opportunities of improvement and can incorporate this knowledge in next batch of 100 K9.

Secondly on not ordering 100s of units in one go, is why would GOI want to make public our modernization strategy.

Thirdly, scenarios and technologies are changing very fast. It's better to be Agile and re-evaluate your plans in 3-4 years.

 

[wallisk]

Correction bruh...
its it said they installed a 152mm turrets not 155mm when I saw that video

OK!! My bad.....

 

[wallisk]

Armatas are useless junk that even the Russians arent using.

Tanks don't last long in modern battlefields BUT with 152 mm main gun T14 tank can destroy M1A1 from a great distance I feel... Next they need to produce APFSDS shells for T14 for top attack too like "Smart Shells"...

 

[wallisk]

If you want cutting edge you need money.

Rafale is turning out to be the least priced TEF Western jet on the markets now...

 

[Apocalypse gupta]

Reason for buy so few rafales was that france was asking for too much money. Price Negotiations did not go well for india and so we had no choice but to reduce our order

OK- 1st order came to roughly 248 millions usd per Rafale F3R jet, total ops costs for 36 jets. 2nd order will be for 26 Rafale-M jets [base is Rafale F3R jet only], at 182 millions usd per jet ops costs. So, logically speaking MRFA deal 114 F4.2 jets should not cost over 220 millions usd and could be bargained to even 210 millions usd per F4.2 jet ops costs I feel!

 

[vijay mendiratta]

L & T have been crying hoarse for further orders and have had to close the production line after delivering the first order for 100 AHEAD of schedule

Probably that caught the user unaware !

 

[Kam Guite]

Lesson learned from Russo-Ukraine war is that we need quantity as well as quality. The waring parties use extensively mothball weapons by refurbishing from their stores yards. Dump and smart weapons should be made available to our forces in huge quantities. That should be the aimed

 

[Shrujanam Syama]

Haha never used towed artillery? India has over 1500 towed artillery.

Sorry, meant Self propelled artillery.

 

[Shrujanam Syama]

You probably mean to say that the Indian Army has never used self-propelled artillery before. Even with that, your statement is incorrect.

India operated 80 FV433 Abbot SPAs between 1967 and 2016. India also had a very small number (around 20) of 2S1 Gvozdika SPAs between the late 1970s and the late 2000s.

You have very good knowledge, kudos! However, Abbot was significantly light and small weighing only 16-17tons whereas K9 weighs 48tons. Oprating K9 is similar to operating T90 more than Abbot

 

[Vijay Anand]

Any purchase over 500cr has to be done by govt. Army has no control over it.

Shouldn't IA initiate first for the deal buddy? 😑

 

[Anant]

You have very good knowledge, kudos! However, Abbot was significantly light and small weighing only 16-17tons whereas K9 weighs 48tons. Oprating K9 is similar to operating T90 more than Abbot

True, but the Indian Army has operated SPAs before. Regardless, some levels of trials are needed, but this kind of piecemeal order across half a decade is very questionable.