Army to get new batch of K-9 Vajra Howitzers in one month, says Defence Minister Sitharaman

A day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi took a ride in the K-9 Vajra howitzer, Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Sunday said the Army would get a fleet of 10 more Howitzers in the next one month.

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 Rs 4,500 crore contract to supply 100 units of the K9 Vajra-T 155 mm/52 calibre Tracked Self-Propelled gun systems to the Indian Army in 2017.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday inaugurated the Armoured Systems Complex of Larsen and Toubro in Gujarat, the first private facility in the country where the K9 Vajra self-propelled Howitzer guns will be manufactured.

Larsen & Toubro had in 2017 won the Rs 4,500-crore contract from the Ministry of Defence to supply 100 units of K9 Vajra-T 155 mm/52 calibre tracked self-propelled gun systems to the Indian Army under the Centre's 'Make in India' initiative.

"I congratulate the entire team of Larsen & Toubro for building the state-of-the-art K-9 Vajra Self Propelled Howitzer. This is a significant contribution towards India's defence sector and protecting the country," Prime Minister Modi tweeted.

"Boosting 'Make in India' in the defence sector is our endeavour. I am glad that the private sector too is supporting this pursuit and making a valuable contribution," he had said in another tweet.

The other gun to have been inducted into the Army was the M-777 ultralight howitzer which has been imported from the US.