Introduction Of New Artillery Guns In The Armed Forces

From this year September, the army will be introducing two types of artillery guns into its arsenal. These will be the first induction of large-caliber guns used in warfare on land since Swedish Bofors guns imported in the 1980s.

The army will take its first delivery of guns from South Korea in September and the first regiment of 18 guns is expected to be ready by the third quarter of 2019 and will also receive four M777 ultra-light howitzers from the U.S. All the 100 guns will be delivered by the November of the year 2020.

In April last year, the Indian engineering conglomerate Larsen & Toubro (L&T) and Hanwa Techwin of South Korea signed a contract to manufacture the K9 Vajra-T guns. The K9 was shortlisted by the Army after extensive trials and the deal is worth about 4,500 crores for 100 guns. 

The M777 induction process is progressing on schedule after a brief delay. The first 10 guns will be imported from South Korea and the rest manufactured by L&T in India.

The ministry of defence concluded negotiations with Larsen & Toubro for the new artillery mobile guns that will be deployed along the western border to take on a Pakistani battlefield edge on the back of artillery guns supplied by the US. 

The Indian Army has been trying for long to acquire the artillery system to counter Pakistan.