India to double Hanwha self-propelled howitzer buy, will manufacture locally
“This follow-up order reflects the deepening defense partnership between Korea and India,” Jae-il Son, CEO and president of Hanwha Aerospace, said in a statement.
The K9 Howitzer and K10 Ammunition Resupply Vehicle is featured in a promotional photo from Hanwha Aerospace. (Hanwha)
SYDNEY — South Korea’s Hanwha Aerospace announced today a $253 million contract with India for a second round of 100 K9 Vajra-T self-propelled howitzers.
“This follow-up order reflects the deepening defense partnership between Korea and India,” Jae-il Son, CEO and president of Hanwha Aerospace, said in today’s statement. “We will continue to be a trusted, reliable partner for India’s defense capabilities in the years ahead, supporting India’s vision for defense manufacturing self-reliance.”
The 155mm howitzers will be built in India by Larsen & Toubro, an Indian manufacturing conglomerate, as part of the country’s vigorous effort to increase the amount and value of weapons built in India. The contract was signed at the South Korean embassy in New Delhi.
An initial order of 100 of the same self-propelled howitzers was placed in 2017. (Prime Minister Narendra Modi rode in one at the plant.)
The first K9 Vajra-T order used more than 50 percent local materials and parts, according to today’s Hanwha release. The new contract plans to hit 60 percent.
Defense cooperation between Korea and India “has expanded significantly in recent years, encompassing various domains including land systems, aerospace, and maritime technologies,” the Hanwha release says, mentioning “air defense systems and advanced military technologies.” That’s likely a reference to a Hanwha product called Hybrid BiHo, reportedly still under consideration for acquisition by New Dehli’s famously sluggish and often unpredictable acquisition system.
Hanwah Aerospace says in the release that it “remains committed to expanding its partnership with India beyond the K9 Vajra program.”
In 2018, Indian Prime Minister Modi noted his country’s “strong momentum in our cooperation with Republic of Korea” at the Shangri La Dialogue in Singapore. The two countries elevated their cooperation to that of a “Special Strategic Partnership” in 2015 and have reinvigorated it since.
