L&T signs pact with Hanwha Techwin for army weapon

Engineering major Larsen & Toubro has signed a contract with South Korea’s Hanwha Techwin (HTW) for the supply of self propelled guns for the Indian army. Larsen & Toubro and Hanwha Techwin signed a contract for execution of the 155mm/ 52 cal tracked self propelled gun program for the Indian army, the company said in a BSE filing today.

Larsen was the sole qualified bidder based on the trials and performance of the K9 VAJRA-T gun, customised by L&T with HTW as the technology partner.

“L&T plans to begin production of this vital weapon system at its Strategic Systems Complex at Talegaon near Pune in Maharashtra and deliver the first batch of 10 guns,” Jayant Patil, Head of Defence and Aerospace and Member of Heavy Engineering Board at L&T, said.

The K9 VAJRA-T is an enhanced version of HTW’s K9 Thunder, to suit specific requirement of Indian army including desert operations. L&T shall not only manufacture K9 VAJRA-T in India, with over 50 per cent indigenous content, but also provide through life support from India, the company said. Shares of L&T were trading 0.53 per cent higher at Rs 1,690 apiece on BSE today.

Larsen & Toubro Limited