Indian Army inducts K9 Vajra, M777 howitzers, first guns since Bofors

Nashik: The Indian Army on Friday inducted new artillery guns and equipment, including K9 Vajra and M777 howitzers, at Deolali artillery centre in Nashik district of Maharashtra.

The induction ceremony took place in the presence of Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and Army chief General Bipin Rawat.

Sitharaman said, “It is after 30 years that we are procuring such guns. Under the new government since 2014, procurement of Army equipment has been expedited. Under the PM’s guidance, negotiations were started and within four years we inducted these guns and many more will be inducted in the future.”

Besides, M777 Ultra Light Howitzers and the K9 Vajra, the third gun system inducted is the ‘Composite Gun Towing Vehicle’ for towing some of the existing guns in service with the country.

This is the first major induction since the Bofors were inducted in the 1980s. While M777 howitzers are US-made light weight guns, the K9 Vajras are South Korea-made self-propelled artillery guns.

The entire process of inducting 100 K9 Vajra at a cost of Rs 4,366 crore will be completed by November 2020.

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