Source : Janes
 |
| Indian Army K9 Vajra 155mm/52 caliber Self-Propelled Howitzer (File Photo) |
The Indian Army has ordered an additional 155 mm/52 caliber self-propelled howitzers (SPHs) known as K9 Vajra-T designed by South Korea’s Hanwha Aerospace, the company told Janes.
A Hanwha spokesperson told Janes that the company has received an additional order of 100 K9s from India, which is in the process now.
“[An order of] another 100 numbers [of K9s] is being discussed and can be closed within 2023. We [Hanwha] are already in touch with our partner Larsen & Toubro (L&T) [regarding the order],” he said.
“These additional quantities under repeat order will include the K9 upgraded with high-altitude area application as well as existing [technologies on] K9s,” the spokesperson added.
The Indian Army has 100 in-service K9 Vajra-Ts, which are the Indian-manufactured variant of the K9 Thunder, with 50% of their components being manufactured in India.
According to Janes Land Warfare Platforms: Artillery & Air Defence, India’s requirement for 100 NATO-compatible SPHs was issued in 1994, and initially, the country evaluated bids from mainly Western countries. By 2010, the tender had failed to arrive at a solution that met India’s requirements.
In 2013, Rosoboronexport’s 2S19M1-155 entered into the competition with the K9 Thunder submitted by South Korea for India’s requirement of 100 SPHs. The K9 was selected in September 2015.
