The Ministry of Defence, Government of India, has awarded Larsen & Toubro (L&T) a major contract to supply the Indian Army with K9 Vajra-T artillery platforms.

The news was published on the company’s website.

The Indian company Larsen & Toubro will manufacture a large batch of K9 Vajra-T self-propelled howitzers under license, a modification of the original South Korean artillery system that has been adapted to customer requirements.

The contract is estimated at $895.5 million for an unspecified number of units and related services. However, local media reported earlier that the government was approving plans to contract 100 howitzers with a similar budget.

The self-propelled howitzers will be manufactured in cooperation with Hanwha Aerospace at the company’s local armored plant in Hazira, Gujarat. This is the company’s second contract for the production of these systems.

In 2017, L&T won a tender to develop and license the production of the first batch of 100 K9 Vajra-Ts, completed ahead of schedule in 2020.

Company representatives emphasized that over 80% of the work on the howitzer was performed in India, and Indian production accounted for more than half of the cost.

The Vajra-T is adapted to work in high mountainous areas with sub-zero temperatures and deserts. It is equipped with local components, including charging and fire control systems.

In April of this year, Hanwha Aerospace also started assembling the first K9 155mm self-propelled gun for the Australian Army, as well as preparing for their local production at the country’s local facilities.

In 2021, Australia signed a contract to purchase 30 K9 Thunder self-propelled howitzers, locally known as AS9 Huntsman.

According to the agreement, after assembling two AS9 howitzers and one AS10 vehicle at the company in Changwon, Republic of Korea, the rest of the equipment will be assembled at the Armored Vehicle Center of Excellence in Australia.

This month, there were also reports of plans and preparations to build production facilities for the production of these artillery systems in Romania.