Engineering giant Larsen & Toubro Ltd (L&T) has joined hands with the South Korean defence equipment manufacturer Samsung Techwin Co Ltd (STW) for the development of self-propelled artillery.
According to the announcement made at the DEFEXPO 2012 at New Delhi, the two companies would cooperate in the Indian Army’s Tracked Self-Propelled Artillery Programme. L&T would be the lead partner in the exercise.
In a statement to the stock exchanges, both companies said that they would offer the latest Self-Propelled Tracked Howitzer system to meet the needs of the Indian Army.
This cooperation would lead to new opportunities for the partners working together in both Indian and global markets, according to Mr M.V. Kotwal, Member, L&T Board and President, Heavy Engineering.
Explaining the synergy between the two companies, the notification said that L&T had been a successful innovator and systems integrator for key systems and technologies. It had indigenously developed and supplied complete systems for the Indian defence and aerospace sectors.
‘K9 Thunder'
The South Korean company was the OEM for the Korean Self-Propelled Howitzer ‘K9 Thunder’, which it claimed as the ‘largest and most successful’ of the 155 mm/52 calibre self-propelled artillery systems globally today.
As the lead partner, L&T would indigenously produce the Self-Propelled Howitzer and the South Korean company STW would provide key technologies for localising the K9 Thunder.
During the production phase, the joint offering would have over 50 per cent local content. L&T has planned to roll out these guns from its defence equipment facility at Talegaon near Pune.
A proposal to develop the 155mm/52 calibre tracked, self-propelled artillery, with L&T as the lead partner, was submitted last year to the Ministry of Defence.