India's Defense Acquisition Council is set to consider a proposal for the procurement of additional K9 Vajra-T self-propelled artillery systems, a deal that could become one of the largest artillery modernisation programmes in the Indian Army's history, covering over 300 units at a cost of approximately 230 billion rupees, or around 2.75 billion U.S. dollars.
This was reported by India Today, citing its own sources within the country's Ministry of Defense. Should a firm contract be signed, the executing company will most likely be Larsen & Toubro (L&T), which manufactures these systems at its own facilities under a technology partnership with South Korean defense giant Hanwha.
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No further details have been reported regarding likely delivery timelines or other specifics. This is nonetheless a large-scale programme, the realisation of which could bring the total number of K9 Vajra-T howitzers in India's armed forces to over 500 artillery systems. The additional units are intended to close capability gaps in the defense of both the Pakistani and Chinese borders.
As a reminder, India's Ministry of Defense selected the licensed copy of the South Korean K9 howitzer through a tender process back in 2015. The system outperformed its russian competitor the 2S19 Msta-S in a specialised 155mm configuration, during trials that lasted two full years.
A first contract for 100 K9 Vajra-T systems was subsequently signed in 2017, with the vast majority 90 vehicles manufactured at Indian facilities. The contract was fulfilled ahead of schedule, completing delivery by early January 2021.
In 2022, reports emerged that India was planning to procure a further 200 K9 Vajra-T units, and in 2023 a contract for an additional 100 systems was concluded.
The share of domestically produced components is expected to increase to 60%, up from the previous 50%.
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