DEFENCE Minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday flagged off the 51st K-9 Vajra-T gun at the Larsen and Toubro Armoured Systems Complex at Hazira, Surat. The L&T officials showed the Minister the different manoeuvres of the K-9 Vajra-T, a tracked self-propelled howitzer. Rajnath Singh sat in the vehicle on which the gun was mounted and was driven around the Hazira complex.

 

The gun weighs 50 tonnes and can fire 47 kilograms bombs at 43-kilometre distant targets. It can also turn around at zero radius. L&T had in 2017 won the Rs 4,500-crore contract from the Ministry of Defence to supply 100 units of K9 Vajra-T 155 mm/52 calibre tracked self-propelled gun systems to the Indian Army under the Centre’s ‘Make in India’ initiative. The K9 Vajra contract involves delivery of 100 such systems in 42 months, which is the largest contract awarded to a private company by the Ministry of Defence. The Defence Minister also put ‘tilak’ and drew the auspicious ‘swastik’ symbol with kumkum on the new artillery. During the puja, he also offered flowers to the gun and broke a coconut.

 

 

DEFENCE Minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday said the Government has set a target of achieving a turnover of USD 26 billion by 2025 in defence production as India cannot remain dependent on arms import forever. The Government has taken several steps to support the private sector to boost indigenous defence manufacturing, Singh said after flagging off the 51st K-9 Vajra-T gun at the Larsen and Toubro’s (L&T) Armoured Systems Complex at Hazira here in Gujarat.

 

“India cannot remain dependent on arms import. We have set a target of achieving a turnover of USD 26 billionby 2025 in the defence production. This involves an investment of USD 10 billion in this sector and generation of two-three million employment opportunities,” he said addressing the gathering.