Surat: Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Larsen & Toubro’s (L&T) Hazira facility in Surat on Friday, underlining the strategic role the complex is playing in strengthening India’s indigenous defence manufacturing capabilities. The visit was his first to the facility in nearly seven years, following his previous tour in 2019.

Situated in Hazira near Surat, the state-of-the-art industrial complex has evolved into a key centre for defence production and heavy engineering. During the visit, Modi reviewed the facility’s operations and examined various indigenous defence systems being developed and manufactured at the site. The Hazira plant is currently the largest private-sector producer of tracked armoured vehicles in the country.

The facility is best known for manufacturing the Indian Army’s K-9 Vajra self-propelled artillery systems. L&T has already supplied 100 K-9 Vajra guns to the Army, several of which have been deployed in the high-altitude areas of Eastern Ladakh along the Line of Actual Control. The Union government has subsequently cleared an order for another 100 units of the artillery platform.

Hazira also gained national prominence with the rollout of the first prototype of the indigenous Zorawar light tank from the A.M. Naik Heavy Engineering Complex. Developed in just 19 months, the tank has been specifically designed for operations in mountainous and high-altitude regions and is currently undergoing field trials.

In addition, the facility is a key part of L&T’s efforts to secure the Indian Army’s Futuristic Infantry Combat Vehicle (FICV) programme, intended to replace the ageing BMP-2 fleet. During his earlier visit to the plant in 2019, the Prime Minister was briefed on prototypes developed under the programme.

The Hazira complex has also hosted other senior leaders, including Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, who visited the facility in January 2020 to review indigenous defence platforms such as the K-9 Vajra.

Industry observers believe that with potential future orders for the Zorawar light tank and possible success in the FICV programme, the Hazira facility could emerge as one of India’s most important defence manufacturing hubs, further advancing the country’s goal of achieving self-reliance in defence production. DeshGujarat