India Seeks Anti-Aircraft Missiles, K9 Artillery Systems from South Korea

India is seeking South Korea’s help in acquiring anti-aircraft missile systems and other military hardware, including more technical help on the K9 artillery systems, apart from technology transfers.

“Defence cooperation is another important area (of our relationship). There are several areas where we already collaborate in. South Korea supplies K-9 Vajra. There are already two phases of supplies that have happened. We are looking at the third phase, which will involve greater technology transfer,” India’s Ministry of External Affairs Secretary (East) P. Kumaran said on Monday (April 20, 2026).

Kumaran was briefing the media regarding the bilateral summit meeting between India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi and South Korean President Lee Jae-myung during the latter’s three-day state visit to New Delhi. Modi and Lee, during their talks, agreed to establish a Korea-India Defence Accelerator to support defence startups.

“We are also looking at other kinds of anti-aircraft guns and missile systems. We are looking at co-development, technology transfer, and joint designing of next generation of defence systems. We are looking at collaborating in the procurement of more types of defence hardware,” Kumaran said.

India procured the K9 for its army about a decade back, with two tranches of the Hanwha Corporation’s artillery guns assembled and supplied by the Indian partner, Larsen & Toubro, since 2017.

The first order for 100 of these artillery guns were worth Rs 4,500 crore. In 2022, the Indian Army purchased more of the K9 Vajras, modified for Indian conditions. In 2024, another 100 K9 Vajras were bought for Rs 7,629 crore.