This is unusual for Bharat Forge. They had to do this because they have been promising ATAGS contact to their shareholders "soon" for a long time.
This is unusual for Bharat Forge. They had to do this because they have been promising ATAGS contact to their shareholders "soon" for a long time.
Good watch.
Apparently, there is no such thing as the Army's Field Artillery Rationalization Plan (FARP).
So many armchair generals have written essays about it.
M777 barrel & breech disassembled & transported near LAC:
I read that the Indian media reported that the artillery delivery delay, is expected to be 114 ,The current number is fewer than two battalions and fewer than 36 gates
Dhanush in action
Indigenous Bofors guns delivery to miss ’26 deadline
NEW DELHI: Going by the tardy delivery of the indigenously produced advanced Bofors gun Dhanush to the Indian Army, it will be difficult to meet the March 2026
Army is still reluctant to drop the 105mm field guns as they have well trained operators on those. So the less mobile D-30 would also be there
Btw this exercise is decent vid
Btw this exercise is decent vid
After 2017 for a few years we had stopped producing 122mm ammunition. But we have heard about how we exported 122mm barrels to Myanmar. So we could have restarted the production of ammunition too. I am not aware.
If not, then maybe by the end of 2027-28 we will see D30s being retired and stored considering around 10 year self life of the ammunition. Again I am not sure about the self life.
Regarding the 105mm, i think with the recent RFI looking for Garuda like solutions, Army will buy some 105mm systems in future too.
It is a critical capability filler between the mortars and the 155mm imo.
That shelf-life is when it's in the open, not when it's stored. We even have WW2 era shells.
100 K-9 cleared as well, another 100 few years later hopefully. Still evolving platform considering our modification needs.
100 more K9 Vajras approved...
Plan is to eventually have 300 of these guns. Efforts are also on to fast-track remaining trials of indigenous Advanced Towed Artillery Gun System.
New Delhi: Faced with a belligerent China on the Line of Actual Control (LAC), the Army is set to order 100 more K9 Vajra Tracked Self-Propelled Howitzer from private defence major Larsen and Toubro (L&T) for their deployment at the northern borders.
The new order for 100 more 155mm/52 calibre Vajras will be a repeat for the South Korean guns that are manufactured indigenously by L&T at its facility in Gujarat.
In 2017, L&T won the Rs 4,500-crore contract to supply 100 units of K9 Vajra under the ‘Make in India’ initiative for which it signed a transfer of technology contract with South Korean company Hanwha Corporation.
According to L&T, K9 Vajra are delivered with more than 80 per cent indigenous work packages and above 50 per cent indigenisation (by value) at the programme level.
The company says it had started indigenisation, right from the inception of the programme, by replacing 14 critical systems in the Korean ‘K9 Thunder’ with indigenously developed and produced systems for the trial gun fielded for user evaluation trials.
Plan is for 200 more Vajras
“We have got the clearance from the Ministry of Defence to order for 100 more Vajras. The Request for Proposal (RFP) will be issued to L&T soon after which the cost negotiations will be carried out. We will fast-track the process and hope to have the deliveries started soon,” a source in the defence and security establishment said.ThePrint has learnt that there could be another order for 100 more Vajras after the new one is executed and that the Army’s plan is to eventually have 300 of these guns that were initially bought for the deserts.
But with the tensions breaking out at LAC in May 2020, the Army decided to deploy three of these tracked howitzers in Eastern Ladakh as a trial measure. These guns were fitted with winterisation kits that would enable the howitzers to work in sub-zero temperature even though they were designed to operate in deserts.
As reported by ThePrint, the gun system proved its mettle following which the Army deployed a full regiment (20 guns make one regiment) of these howitzers in Eastern Ladakh to add to its fire power.
“We have already bought winterisation kits for the existing 100 Vajras. The new ones are being bought for the mountains and will come with winterisation kits,” another source explained.
The winterisation kits consist of nine items including specialised oil, lubricants, heating systems and small changes to the gun’s fire and control system, besides others.
Vajras were originally meant for deserts
When the Army did the trials for Vajras before it placed the order in 2017, it was carried out in deserts and not in high-altitude areas where the howtizer’s systems work differently in rarefied atmosphere and extreme cold.“When the Ladakh crisis started, we had to rethink our strategy. We put these guns in Ladakh for trials and they performed well surpassing our expectations. And hence, we have decided to go in for more,” a third source said.
Sources explained that the Army is looking for 200 more Vajras but could not have placed a repeat order higher than the original. They added the new order will be for 100 howitzers and a subsequent order could be placed at a later date once the second order is delivered.
Because these are powerful tracked howitzers, the Army can deploy them extensively in the mountains too giving it more firepower.
The Army has already bought 145 M777 lightweight howitzers from the US to be deployed exclusively in the mountains. These lightweight howitzers are easily transportable by the Chinook helicopters and can be moved from one valley to another with ease.
Will this second '100' vajras be the upgraded K9 with L58 barrel for long range?
www.janes.com
KADEX 2024: Hanwha Aerospace to develop K9A3 unmanned artillery system
Hanwha Aerospace intends to develop an unmanned version of its K9A1 tracked self-propelled howitzers (SPHs).
www.janes.com
Indian Army Tests Garuda 105 Gun in Airdrop Exercise, Orders likely soon.
Aatmanirbhar Bharat: MoD inks Rs 7,629 crore contract with L&T for K9 VAJRA-T Self-Propelled Tracked Artillery Guns for Indian Army
Ministry of Defence has signed a contract with Larsen & Toubro Limited for procurement of 155 mm
pib.gov.in
Signed finally..
MoD inks Rs 7,629 crore contract with L&T for K9 VAJRA-T Self-Propelled Tracked Artillery Guns for Indian Army
Posted On: 20 DEC 2024 4:54PM by PIB DelhiMinistry of Defence has signed a contract with Larsen & Toubro Limited for procurement of 155 mm/52 calibre K9 VAJRA-T Self-Propelled Tracked Artillery Guns for the Indian Army under Buy (Indian) category at a total cost of Rs 7,628.70 crore. The contract was signed by senior officials of the Ministry and representatives of L&T in the presence of Defence Secretary Shri Rajesh Kumar Singh in South Block, New Delhi on December 20, 2024.
The procurement of K9 VAJRA-T will catalyse the artillery modernisation and enhance overall operational readiness of the Indian Army. This versatile artillery gun, with its cross-country mobility, will play a pivotal role in enhancing the firepower of the Indian Army, enabling deeper strike with precision and its lethal firepower will bolster the capability of artillery in all terrains. The gun being equipped with cutting-edge technology is capable of delivering long-range lethal fires with high accuracy & higher rate of fire and will be able to operate in sub-zero temperature in high-altitude areas to its full potential.
The project will generate an employment of more than nine lakh man-days over a period of four years and encourage active participation of various Indian industries including MSMEs. The project will be a proud flag-bearer of ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’ in consonance with the ‘Make-in-India’ initiative.
Hope we will procure more in future ,close to 1000. Between why we are not ordering replenishing vehicle? @randomradio