Vice Chief of Indian Army Staff Lieutenant General C P Mohanty on Thursday reviewed the prevailing operational preparedness of the Vajra 155mm tracked self-propelled howitzers in in the Union Territory of Ladakh on May 29, 2021. The Vice Chief of Army Staff visited the headquarters where he was briefed about the prevailing security situation in eastern Ladakh. Three self-propelled howitzers arrived in Leh last month and are being transported to a high altitude base to be tested if they can be used in high altitude areas against the enemy
The Indian Army chief has been monitoring the induction and operations of the howitzers produced in the Larsen and Toubro facility in Hazira near Surat in Gujarat. Based on the performance of the guns, the Indian Army would consider placing orders for two to three additional regiments of the self-propelled howitzers for mountain operation. As Indian Army inducted the last of the 100 K-9 Vajra guns ordered, three of these howitzers have been deployed for trials in high altitude mountainous area.
South Korean Company Hanwha Techwin joined hand with Indian conglomerate Larsen and Toubro Limited to supply 100 K9-T guns (known in India as K-9 Vajra) for the Indian Army Howitzer competition. K9 Thunder overcame a sand storm to successfully become a part of the Indian Military. In September 2015, Larsen and Toubro emerged as the finalist for a US$800 million contract to supply 100 self-propelled howitzers to the Indian Army. By January 2020, more than half of K-9 Vajra guns had already been delivered to the Indian army ahead of schedule.
Ladakh is a region administered by India as a union territory, and constitutes a part of the larger Kashmir region, which has been the subject of dispute between India, Pakistan, and China since 1947. It was established on 31 October 2019, following the passage of the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act. The eastern end, consisting of the uninhabited Aksai Chin plains, is claimed by the Indian Government as part of Ladakh, and has been under Chinese control since 1962. Ladakh is the largest and the second least populous union territory of India.
