What is K- 9 Vajra?

July 15, 2023

The Indian Army is planning to introduce the Made in India K-9 Vajra self-propelled artillery guns in the Eastern Ladakh sector where it has already equipped its troops with Spike missiles.

About  K- 9 Vajra:

  • It is a 155 mm, 52-caliber tracked self-propelled artillery system.
  • It is built by Larsen & Toubro with technology transferred from South Korean defence major Hanwha Défense based on its K9 Thunder.
  • Features:
    • It has all-welded steel armour up to 19mm thick.
    • The main weapon is the 155mm / 52 calibre gun.
    • It has a burst rate of fire of three rounds per 15 seconds and a maximum rate of fire of six to eight rounds a minute for three minutes.
    • Range: 40 km
    • The K9 uses a digital fire control system, by which it can fire multiple rounds that can impact a given area at the same time.

Key facts about Spike missile:

  • Spike is a fire-and-forget anti-tank guided missile (ATGM).
  • The Spike family of ATGMs are developed by Rafael Advanced defence Systems, a defence technology company based in Israel.
  • Spike missiles are being used by the defence forces of Israel and another 38 countries, including India, Netherlands, Romania, Chile, Colombia, Finland, Germany, Poland.
  • Features:
    • These are lightweight, fire-and-forget tactical precision-guided missiles using electro-optical (EO) and fibre-optic technologies.
    • It has the ability to penetrate around one meter of armour and can be operated in either “direct attack or mid-course navigation based on target coordinates only.
    • The missile has an inbuilt seeker, which gives the firer the flexibility to use any of two modes: Day (CCD) and Night (IIR). The dual seeker adds to the missile's reliability.