Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit the Armoured System Complex (ACS) built at L&T company premises at Hazira in Surat on Saturday. The ACS has been developed by L&T to manufacture K-9 Vajra-T self-propelled Howitzer guns, the first private company in India to produce such a facility to manufacture the advanced high-end guns.
Later in the afternoon, Modi will go to Silvassa in Dadra and Nagar Haveli, where he will inaugurate and lay foundation stones of different development projects worth Rs 1,700 crore.
The L&T had signed a Rs 4,500-crore contract with the Defence Ministry in 2017 to supply 100 units of K-9 Vajra-T guns to the Army. The contract was part of the Centre’s ‘Make in India’ initiative. While 10 units have already been provided to the Army, production of the remaining 90 units is in progress. The L&T has been manufacturing the guns in collaboration with South Korean company Hanwha Techwin. The gun is a variant of K-9 thunder and used by army in South Korea and other countries.
Sources said that the K-9 Vajra-T has been manufactured to meet the requirements of 21st century warfare and will be an important asset for the Indian army. The gun has deep fire support system features with longer fire range. It had been put on display in a Defence Expo held in Chennai last year.