India's government has approved the army's plan to buy more self-propelled howitzers as a program needed to strengthen its forces, clearing the way for a follow-on export order for Hanwha Aerospace's K9. India plans to add more than 300 K9 howitzers in a deal worth close to 3 trillion won ($2.1 billion).
India's Ministry of Defence said the Defence Acquisition Council, chaired by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, approved the need for a tracked self-propelled howitzer system to modernize the army's firepower at a meeting on the 26th. Indian media reported that the program covers more than 300 additional units of the K9 Vajra-T, the locally built version of the K9, and said its cost would exceed 200 billion rupees, or about 2.8 trillion won.
The Indian army ordered 100 K9 howitzers in a first contract in 2017 and signed another agreement for 100 more in December 2024. If the latest deal is finalized, cumulative Indian orders for the K9 are expected to rise above 500 units.
The K9 Vajra-T is a 155 mm, 52-caliber tracked self-propelled howitzer produced locally through a partnership between Hanwha Aerospace and Indian defense contractor Larsen & Toubro. It was originally introduced for operations in the western desert region bordering Pakistan, but after the 2020 standoff with China, it was fitted with equipment for extreme cold and underwent field evaluation in the eastern Ladakh region. One regiment has since been deployed there.
The K9 Vajra-T is known for its shoot-and-scoot capability, which allows it to move quickly after firing and reduces its exposure to enemy counter-battery fire.
The weapons programs approved by India's defense ministry this time, including the K9, cover efforts to strengthen the army, navy and air force and total 2.12 trillion rupees, or about 29.5 trillion won. Under the Make in India policy to promote domestic manufacturing, the Indian government plans to source about 82% of the total procurement from Indian defense companies. If the K9 contract is finalized, it is also expected to be produced locally at L&T's plant in Hazira, Gujarat.
Approval by the Defence Acquisition Council is the first step in India's large-scale arms procurement process, in which the government accepts a request submitted by the military and allows procurement to begin. Hanwha said the path to an actual contract still requires bidding, technical evaluation, field trials and commercial negotiations, and it plans to strengthen the local network it has already built. Large defense programs also require final approval from the Cabinet Committee on Security, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Still, expectations are high that the approval could lead to a large follow-on order for Hanwha Aerospace, given that the Indian army has already contracted for 200 K9 Vajra units in two rounds and has an established local partnership with L&T.