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NEW DELHI: India and South Korea person agreed to broaden their defence concern during the bilateral talks betwixt PM Narendra Modi and South Korean President Lee Jae Myung connected Monday, arsenic the 2 countries person planned for the 3rd signifier of practice that volition emphasise greater exertion transfer, co-development and associated plan of precocious subject systems.The 2 sides already co-manufacture the K9 Vajra, a specialised artillery gun, and present program to widen the aforesaid manufacturing exemplary to futuristic technologies.Addressing a media briefing successful Delhi, MEA caput (East) P Kumaran said connected Monday, “Korea supplies K9 Vajra systems, anti-aircraft systems. There are already 2 phases of supplies that person happened. We’re looking astatine the 3rd phase, which involves a greater exertion transfer.
We’re besides looking astatine different kinds of anti-aircraft guns and rocket systems.”The K9 Vajra-T is simply a 155 mm, 52-calibre tracked self-propelled howitzer that forms a cardinal constituent of the Indian Army’s modern artillery capability. Manufactured successful India by Larsen & Toubro with exertion transferred from South Korea’s Hanwha Aerospace, the strategy is based connected the wide utilized K9 Thunder platform.Equipped with a 155mm/52 calibre weapon mounted connected a 50-tonne chassis with all-welded alloy armour up to 19 mm thick, K9 Vajra-T self-propelled howitzers tin occurrence 47 kg shells astatine distances of up to astir 50 km.
The Army has successfully deployed K9 Vajra-T successful high-altitude, mountainous terrain, specifically successful Ladakh and the northeastern border. These 155mm/52-calibre tracked guns were primitively designed for godforsaken warfare but aft palmy trials successful 2021, are present operationalised successful hilly areas to heighten long-range, rapid-deployment firepower.Kumaran said, “The earlier 2 phases of practice were chiefly oriented towards nonstop acquisitions and progressive localisation, but Phase III volition instrumentality the narration adjacent further with precocious manufacturing and exertion transfer.”“Co-development and exertion transfer, co-design, etc of next-generation defence systems are immoderate different areas wherever we privation to research cooperation. Then determination are possibilities of co-operation connected procurement of defence hardware, telecom equipment, cyber security…,” helium said.While the accumulation of artillery weapons systems specified arsenic the K9 Vajra has been the item of this associated venture, determination are ongoing talks connected processing aerial defence systems, which see some anti-aircraft guns arsenic good arsenic rocket platforms to tackle caller aerial threats specified arsenic drones.
