Army gets artillery guns K9 Vajra, M777 howitzers

Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Friday inducted three major artillery gun systems, including the M777 American Ultra-Light Howitzers and the K-9 Vajra, into the Indian Army at an induction ceremony at Deolali in Maharashtra.

The third gun system inducted is the ‘Composite Gun Towing Vehicle’ for towing some of the existing guns in service with the country, while K-9 Vajra is a self-propelled artillery gun.

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The induction ceremony here comes ahead of establishing the first regiment- each comprising of about 18 guns- of the M777s and the Vajra by around mid-next year, an official said.

For procuring 145 M777s, India had entered into a contract with the United States under the Foreign Military Sales programme for Rs 5,070 crore in November 2016.

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The M777s, which have been used in operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, can be easily transported to high altitude areas by helicopters.

(With agency inputs)