In the blistering expanse of the Rann of Kutch, a trail of dust rises behind a self-propelled howitzer that moves with surprising speed for its size. Painted in desert camouflage and carrying the name “Vajra” on its chassis, the 155mm artillery piece halts, adjusts its turret, and fires. The shot echoes across the landscape, loud, swift, precise. This is the K9 Vajra-T, India’s answer to mobile heavy artillery and a quiet case study in what can happen when defence manufacturing evolves from licence production to strategic assembly.
Born from a partnership between South Korea’s Hanwha Defense and India’s Larsen & Toubro (L&T), the K9 Vajra is far more than just another weapons system. It is a blueprint for how local production, intelligent adaptation, and export-minded strategy can work together to rewrite the rules of India’s defence industrial complex. More than a platform, the Vajra represents a pivot point. The future direction is away from dependency and toward capability.
From Thunder to Vajra: A Strategic Collaboration
The original K9 Thunder, developed by South Korea in the 1990s, was a response to the need for fast, mobile firepower capable of surviving counter-battery fire in high-intensity conflicts. Its performance in Korean terrain, marked by steep hills and rapid deployment needs, made it an attractive proposition globally. But for India, simply importing the K9 was never the plan.
In 2017, L&T secured a contract to deliver 100 K9 Vajra-Ts to the Indian Army under the ‘Buy Global, Make in India’ clause of the Defence Procurement Procedure. What began as a foreign-origin system quickly morphed into a domestically assembled and eventually indigenised platform. L&T’s Hazira facility in Gujarat was reconfigured to handle production, and Indian suppliers were roped in to provide critical sub-components ranging from armour panels to fire-control electronics.
Today, more than 80% of the Vajra by value is sourced or built within India. While the gun barrel and certain fire control subsystems are still imported, L&T has developed capacity for integration, testing, and lifecycle maintenance, creating not just a product, but an ecosystem.
Local Assembly: A Network of Capability, Not Just Compliance
The success of the Vajra program lies in what L&T and its collaborators have built behind the scenes. At the heart of this transformation is a decentralised supply chain, involving over 50 Indian micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs). These firms manufacture and supply items such as electrical harnesses, hydraulic systems, and structural modules that go into each Vajra unit.
This decentralised model has two major benefits. First, it spreads industrial capability across a wider national base rather than concentrating it in a single facility. Second, it creates redundancy and flexibility, key traits for wartime resilience. Moreover, by creating a domestic assembly line for a high-value platform, India is no longer limited to one-off procurements. It now has the infrastructure to maintain, upgrade, and adapt the platform as needed.
The program has also sparked technological spillovers. For instance, expertise gained in welding specialised steel armour has fed into India’s other armoured vehicle projects. Simulation-based fire-control systems developed for the Vajra are now being tested in other artillery applications. The Vajra has thus become a touchstone for what the Make in India initiative can achieve when strategic design and manufacturing are given equal weight.
From Desert Heat to Himalayan Cold
Originally acquired with desert warfare in mind, the K9 Vajra was tested and proven in the sands of Rajasthan. Its mobility, capable of speeds up to 67 kilometres per hour, gave it the edge in India’s vast western theatre, where covering ground quickly can mean the difference between victory and retreat. Its rapid-fire capability, able to fire three rounds in 15 seconds in burst mode, gives it unmatched potency in suppressive fire roles.
But what makes the Vajra truly adaptable is how it performed under conditions it was never initially designed for. In 2020, as tensions flared along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) with China, the Indian Army began deploying K9 Vajras in Ladakh. The artillery pieces were reconfigured to operate at high altitudes where oxygen levels are low, terrain is rugged, and maintenance windows are tight.
With minor modifications, including improved engine tuning and adaptations to their heating and lubrication systems, the Vajras proved their utility even in Himalayan climates. This was not merely a technical achievement—it was a validation of the Army’s trust in an Indian-assembled platform under real-world, high-risk scenarios. It also widened the Vajra’s strategic application beyond its original brief, making it a viable candidate for all-terrain deployment.
Export Potential
With production lines established and battlefield credibility secured, India is now looking outward. The Vajra program has quietly opened the door to a new identity for India, not just as an arms importer, but as a credible defence exporter.
L&T has already begun marketing a derivative of the Vajra platform to friendly foreign nations, particularly in Southeast Asia, Africa, and the Middle East. Discussions with countries like the Philippines and Vietnam, both facing their own strategic challenges, are ongoing. For these nations, the Vajra offers a compelling proposition: a battle-tested, cost-competitive, and readily supportable howitzer platform.
In these markets, the Vajra is not just a weapon system, it is a diplomatic tool. Arms sales are a form of strategic alignment, and India, with its position as a non-Western, rules-based security partner, offers an alternative to traditional Western or Chinese defence suppliers. This is particularly important in the Indo-Pacific, where defence ties are increasingly linked to political trust.
Moreover, India’s pitch is backed by more than promises. By offering training, lifecycle support, and potential joint manufacturing options, India is selling a package, not just a product. The Vajra, in this sense, becomes both a symbol and a service—a model for 21st-century defence engagement.
Vajra as a Strategic Template
The K9 Vajra project offers lessons far beyond artillery. It exemplifies how India can leverage global partnerships not simply to acquire technology, but to absorb, adapt, and reconfigure it into domestic strength. The key lies in three areas: industrial depth, institutional flexibility, and long-term policy alignment.
Industrial depth was achieved by involving a range of MSMEs and regional vendors in the production process. These vendors are now capable of taking on contracts beyond defence, thereby enriching the broader manufacturing ecosystem. Institutional flexibility came from L&T’s ability to build new lines, develop new processes, and manage quality standards in partnership with DRDO and the Army’s quality assurance agencies. Policy alignment was secured through the defence offset framework and strategic procurement guidelines that incentivised local value addition without compromising timelines.
The K9 Vajra is thus a model that can be replicated. Whether in infantry vehicles, UAVs, or air defence systems, India can apply the same philosophy: start with a proven global platform, bring in strategic partners, and gradually build a high-quality domestic ecosystem around it. This is not just Make in India—it is Make with Purpose.
Beyond the Barrel, a Blueprint
As India moves deeper into an era of strategic autonomy, the conversation around defence manufacturing is shifting. The old model of licence production and limited value addition no longer serves the country’s aspirations. The K9 Vajra shows what is possible when that paradigm is flipped.
What started as an imported system has become a symbol of capability. What began as a procurement contract is now a lever of diplomacy. And what rolled off the line in Hazira as a howitzer might just roll out again, in new forms, for new partners, across new geographies.
The Vajra is more than steel and firepower. It is a blueprint for how India can build a future where defence manufacturing is not just about platforms, but about policy, partnerships, and positioning on the world stage.
