Surat: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh today flagged off the 51st K-9 Vajra-T gun at the Larsen and Toubro Armoured Systems Complex at Hazira, Surat. The L&T officials showed the minister the different manoeuvres of the K-9 Vajra-T, a tracked self-propelled howitzer. Singh sat in the vehicle on which the gun was mounted and was driven around the Hazira complex.
Rajnath Singh tweeted, “Visited the L&T’s Armoured Systems Complex (ACS) in Hazira today and flagged off the freshly manufactured K9 Vajra-T guns which are indeed future ready combat vehicles. The ASC is a state-of-the-art complex to manufacture and integrate advanced armoured platforms.”
Visited the L&T’s Armoured Systems Complex (ACS) in Hazira today and flagged off the freshly manufactured K9 Vajra-T guns which are indeed future ready combat vehicles.
The ASC is a state-of-the-art complex to manufacture and integrate advanced armoured platforms. pic.twitter.com/G2piAr1Nji
— Rajnath Singh (@rajnathsingh) January 16, 2020
The gun weighs 50 tonnes and can fire 47kg bombs at 43-kilometre distant targets. It can also turn around at zero radius.
The Defence Minister also put ’tilak’ and drew the auspicious ‘swastika’ symbol with kumkum on the new artillery. During the puja, he also offered flowers to the gun and broke a coconut.
Scoping out the K9 Vajra-T guns at ACS in Hazira. These future ready combat vehicles meet the requirements of 21st century warfare, including deep fire support with its longer firing range. pic.twitter.com/TV8qvvAgxY
— Rajnath Singh (@rajnathsingh) January 16, 2020
“I see this complex has a new and astonishing achievement… There were many sectors in India where private sector’s participation was almost nil. Defence sector was one such example,” he said.
Under the ‘Make in India’ scheme, the government has taken many steps that will make the country a net exporter of arms in future, he said.