Podcast: Indian Army’s Hunt for More Vajra Guns

The Indian Army is poised to place orders for 300 new self-propelled K9 Vajra artillery systems, have ordered 200 of them previously. The Armchair Perspectives Podcast explores why the Army needs such guns in large numbers and their impact on the battlefield.

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On June 11, news portals across India rang out with the news that the Indian Army is poised to place a massive order for 300 K9 Vajra self-propelled artillery systems, and that the Defence Procurement Board could consider the acquisition as soon as this week.

The announcement came as a surprise, considering that in March, the Army had leaked to the press that it intended to purchase a similar number of towed artillery gun systems.

So what explains the shift in priorities?

In this podcast, editor Jayant Chakravarti talks about the many advantages of a self-propelled gun system like the K9 Vajra that makes it an essential component of the Indian Army's war machine and which possibly guided the Army’s changing priorities.

If you prefer to enjoy a long read about the Indian Army's long-term field artillery plans amidst changing realities of war, we have just the one you need. Subscribe to Armchair Perspectives and read the article ⁠here⁠.

Here's the full transcript of this Armchair Perspectives podcast:

Hello and welcome to the Armchair Perspectives Podcast. I am Jayant Chakravarti, your host for today.

This show is dedicated to covering the most pressing military and geopolitical events around the world, and in today's podcast, we take a look at why the Indian Army is suddenly pushing to spend an astronomical 23,000 crore rupees on hundreds of new self-propelled artillery guns.

On June 11, news portals across India rang out with the news that the Army is poised to place an order worth 23,000 crore rupees for 300 K9 Vajra self-propelled artillery systems, and that the Defence Procurement Board could consider the acquisition as soon as this week.

The sudden announcement, delivered through sources from within the defence establishment, indicated a sudden shift in priorities of the Regiment of Artillery. In March, defence sources had let it be known that the Army planned to place an order for 300 new 155mm Dhanush towed artillery gun systems.

That order did not materialise, and the latest announcement now signifies that the Army intends to rely more on mobile artillery platforms in today's age of high-intensity and drone-rich conflict environment.

The K9 Vajra is manufactured by Larsen & Toubro under a licence from Korean defence giant Hawnha Aerospace. The company has already delivered 100 K9 Vajras to the Army under a 2017 deal and is presently manufacturing another 100 guns, or 5 new regiments, under a new contract signed in December 2023.

If the Army places an order for 300 new Vajras, it will ultimately field as many as 25 Vajra regiments along India's northern and western borders, boasting tremendous firepower complimented by fresh acquisitions of Dhanush and ATAGS towed artillery guns and long-range Pinaka multi-barrel rocket systems.

Why the Army needs more Vajras is a realisation of the realities of modern warfare. The Russia-Ukraine conflict, which has now turned into a prolonged stalemate with neither Russia nor Ukraine willing to blink first, has become a graveyard of tanks, artillery guns, armoured personnel carriers, and rocket launchers. Weaponised first person drones now rule the skies, taking down everything from large missile batteries to parked fighter jets to tanks to even individual soldiers hiding in the bushes.

Gone are the days of the traditional military attacks led by an armada of tanks supported by hundreds of attack helicopters and hundreds of thousands of troops. Hard to replace main battle tanks and helicopters can be swiftly destroyed using drone swarms costing a fraction of the traditional heavy weapon systems. It is no wonder that despite months of fighting, the US Army hasn't considered an invasion of Iran even a remote possibility.

For the Indian Army, The Vajra self-propelled gun is an optimistic gamble. It operates far behind enemy lines, using its tremendous range to devastate enemy formations over 40 kilometres away, and can quickly speed away at more than 65 kilometres per hour to evade counter artillery strikes and drone attacks. Its main advantage is that it is a vehicle in itself, and does not need to be attached to another truck to be towed to and from the battlefield, something that can take a lot of time.

The Army typically uses Vajras in formations of six vehicles, with each vehicle carrying a maximum of 48 high explosive rounds. The combined firepower of a battery of Vajras can deliver close to 40 rounds in just 30 seconds, flattening forward-deployed enemy formations and preparing the ground for infantry or armoured assaults. In the midst of a raging battle, the speed of deployment and combined firepower can make the difference between victory and defeat.

There's another reason why the Vajra is bagging a new order every four years. It is an artillery gun, but is no less than a main battle tank if we talk about its weight and armour protection. Each Vajra gun weighs 47 tonnes, and features all-welded steel armour composed of high-hardness steel that can survive direct gunfire, direct hits from armour-piercing tank rounds and anti-personnel mines. Its survivability provides greater confidence to commanders to deploy Vajras in good numbers in areas of potential conflict.

You may ask why the Army is spending so much money on an artillery system when drone swarms, remotely-piloted combat drones or even kamikaze drones can do the job without putting lives at risk. The answer is that military strategies are often shaped by war and the weapons we have today still exist because they proved their worth in a previous war. It could take another war for the Army to embrace new strategies and carry out a major switch of its weapons arsenal.

The Russia-Ukraine war has provided sufficient evidence of how future wars will be fought. Armies across the world are developing new battle doctrines to adapt to the new realities, and the Indian Army is no exception.

Significant acquisitions of drones and unmanned combat aircraft are underway, yet the Army knows the value of sizable quantities of artillery systems in times of war. The Vajra is here to stay.

Thanks for tuning in to the Armchair Perspectives podcast. See you next time.

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