India completes price negotiations for 100 modified K-9 self-propelled howitzers

[Kraitcorp]

India's Ministry of Defence (MoD) has completed price negotiations with the Indian private-sector company Larsen & Toubro (L&T) for the supply of 100 modified South Korean K-9 self-propelled howitzers (SPHs) for around USD750 million.

Industry sources said the tender for the K-9 Vajra (Thunderbolt), which is an L&T-modified version of Samsung Techwin's K-9 155 mm/52-calibre tracked SPH produced under a collaborative agreement, will now go to the Cabinet Committee on Security, headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, for approval before being signed.

The option for an additional 50 K-9s is to be included in the contract, which is likely to be signed before the end of the current financial year, in March 2017.

The 47-tonne K-9 SPHs, which are being procured for the Indian Army under the 'Buy Global' category of the Defence Procurement Procedure (DPP), would be built at L&T's Talegaon plant near Pune in western India as part of a joint venture (JV) with Samsung.

However, the SPH's supplementary K-10 munitions supply vehicle, built on the K-9 platform, is not part of the tender.

L&T sources said the SPHs would include 50% indigenous content. This would involve fabricating the K-9's hull and turret structure and locally developing 14 sub-systems such as the fire control and communication systems.

In service with South Korea, Poland and Turkey, the K-9 was shortlisted in trials in early 2014 that featured Russia's MSTA-S 152 mm SPH upgraded to a 155 mm/45-cal standard.

Powered by a German-designed MTU MT881 Ka 500 V8 water-cooled 1,000 hp diesel engine coupled to a fully automatic US-origin Allison transmission system, the K-9 is operated by a crew of five.

Capable of firing various projectiles with strike ranges of between 18 and 40 km, the K-9 has an operational range of 450 km, while its hydro-pneumatic tracked suspension and high ground clearance ensure good mobility across rough terrain.

http://www.janes.com/article/61971/...for-100-modified-k-9-self-propelled-howitzers

 

[dadeechi]

When it rains it pours..

Dhanush, M777 and now K-9. All done in a matter of 10 days.

 

[Nilgiri]

Damn things getting done! Hope as little % of defence funding is underutilized this year and years to come with this strong focus on getting things done. @Abingdonboy

 

[sudhir007]

So k9 come without k10 supplements vehicle

 

[migflug]

"upar wala jab bhi deta deta chappar phaar ke" best implied to armys artillery requirement.
m777,k9,dhanush,ofb 155/52,atags,kalyanis 155/52 as well as their light weight howitzer. its raining for artillery regiment.
now the important question would be the munitions. its very important to have common munition for all towed based howitzers for the ease of logistics. tracked and light ones may vary ,would love to have some excalibur

 

[Vyom]

When it rains it pours..

Dhanush, M777 and now K-9. All done in a matter of 10 days.

some thing is not right, that price will fetch more than 250 K9 (with reloading vehicle,of course)

 

[jaiind]

grt addition into the army squad

 

[Dungeness]

India is indeed a world expo of military hardware.