L&T teams with Nexter and STW to offer 155mm Artillery Systems to Indian Army

India’s Larsen & Toubro Ltd (L&T) has signed separate cooperation agreements with Nexter Systems and Samsung Techwin (STW) at DefExpo 2012 enabling the company to offer several weapons to meet the Indian Army’s various 155mm artillery requirements. 


L&T and Nexter had previously agreed to jointly pursue the army’s 155mm/52cal Mounted Gun System (MGS) requirement but this collaboration has now been extended to cover the 155mm/52cal Towed Gun System (TGS) and the modernisation of the army’s M-46 130mm/39cal towed howitzer.

Nexter is the lead for the MGS and TGS projects and will transfer production of sub-assemblies of its CAESAR self-propelled gun and TRAJAN towed gun and the final integration of both systems to L&T. The Indian company will lead on the M-46 modernisation bid. 


The agreement between L&T and Samsung Techwin enables the partners to offer a proposal for the army's 155mm/52cal Tracked Self Propelled Artillery project based on the South Korean company’s K-9 Thunder. ‘L&T and Samsung Techwin have joined together to offer a state-of-the-art self-propelled tracked howitzer system meeting the aspirations of the Indian Army for this strategically important program. This cooperation would lead to new avenues in Indian and global defence markets for both the partners working together’, said M V Kotwal, member of the board, L&T and president, Heavy Engineering.

STW developed the K9 Thunder, the K10 Ammunition Re-supply Vehicle, to meet the requirements of the Republic of Korea Army; the weapon entered service in 1999 and was first used in action during the bombardment of Yeonyeong on 23 November 2010. A derivative of the K9, the T-155 Firtina, is produced under license in Turkey and the Australian Army is considering the K9 for the tracked portion of its Land 17 Artillery Replacement Programme.


STW will provide key technologies to enable L&T to develop an Indian variant of the K9 which would have over 50% local components including the fire control system, communication system, NBC protection, and climate control system. This phase will also include significant 'Indianisation' of the hull and turret structures, and major subsystems.


A K9 Thunder is displayed at the L&T stand at Defexpo.