2024-02-20 02:51:31
New Delhi: The Indian Army is going to be upgraded with state-of-the-art weapons and technologies in the coming years. Terming the news of elimination of tanks as exaggerated, the Army said that the army with a strength of 12 lakh soldiers is further strengthening itself. For this, state-of-the-art equipment and technology is being prepared. A senior official said that the damage caused by Russian tanks in the Ukraine war through drones and anti-tank missiles, sophisticated next generation light anti-tank weapons was due to poor strategy. Indian Army is now preparing to buy a powerful combat vehicle by learning from these things.
Why is T-72 in bad condition in Russia?
He said that Russia deployed the tanks without adequate supply arrangements. Meaning, the plan to deliver essential goods and fuel was not correct.
The tanks were not accompanied by sufficient infantry, artillery, electronic warfare equipment and air support. That is, the tanks were left alone, making it easier for the enemies to attack them. A senior officer said a key joint military operation strategy was missing. He further said that tanks are relevant for both offensive and defensive operations. There is no alternative to tanks in terms of mobility, firepower and protection in major wars.
Name T-72, the enemy used to tremble with fear, read the story of India’s old ‘Mahabali’
Preparations are being made for the future war
He informed that our future tank projects are being designed keeping in mind utmost security against air threats as well as better connectivity. Necessary security measures, such as protection from drones, will protect not only individual tanks but also the entire crew. The Indian Army is planning big to build 1,770 future battle-ready combat vehicles (FRCVs) to replace the aging Russian T-72 tanks. The process of taking proposals (RFP) from various companies for this project worth about Rs 57,000 crore is going to start this year. These new vehicles will join the army from 2030 and will replace the old tanks.
AI technology will also be used extensively
An official said that the future combat vehicles (FRCV) will have cutting-edge technologies like Artificial Intelligence (AI), drone integration, active protection system. The Indian Army will induct the first five indigenous Arjun Mark-1A tanks into its army this year. These tanks, ordered for Rs 7,523 crore in September 2021, have undergone 14 major and 57 minor updates to enhance firepower, mobility, durability and protection. These 118 improved tanks will join the first 124 Arjun tanks inducted more than a decade ago.
keep an eye on china also
Additionally, 354 indigenous light tanks for high altitude combat areas will be inducted under ‘Project Jorwar’, which will cost around Rs 17,500 crore, he said. The weight of this tank will be less than 25 tons, but its firepower and security will be very high. The need for such tanks has been necessitated by the standoff with China in eastern Ladakh. Of these 354 indigenous light tanks, 59 are earmarked for the Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO), while the remaining 295 are to be manufactured by the government under the ‘Mech-1’ category.
Work on upgrade is also going on
The Indian Army is working on several plans to upgrade its old tanks. For example, the proposal to replace the existing 780 horsepower engines in their T-72 tanks with 1000 horsepower engines has been approved by the Defense Ministry. Under this Rs 2,300 crore scheme, 200 engines will be directly imported, while 800 will be made in India. “Thermal sites, fire detection and extinguishing systems, and other systems are also being installed in the T-72 tanks,” an official said. T-90S tanks are being fitted with automatic target trackers, digital ballistic computers and commander thermal imagers.
He informed that the Future Combat Vehicles (FRCVs) will be inducted into the Army in three phases, of which the first phase will include 590 vehicles. New technologies will be incorporated in each phase to ensure maximum safety, lethality and speed. He further clarified that the tanks have not been exhausted.