Indian Army Wants to Add Another 1,000 T-90S Tanks by 2020
(NSI News Source Info) August 22, 2008: India’s main battle tanks had one been relatively advanced by world standards, but long delays in fielding the indigenous “Arjun” MBT, combined with a successful Pakistani/Ukrainian program for its T-80UD “Al-Khalid” tanks, eroded India’s local advantage. The poor performance of T-72s in combat against modern main battle tanks could not have been comforting, either. In early October 2006, India Defence and Indian papers reported that the Indian Army intended to produce nearly 1,000 T90S ‘Bhishma’ main battle tanks in India by 2020. These would be bought in addition to the 310 T90 MBTs already
under contract from Russia. Later that month, news reports noted a follow-on contract for another 330 T-90S tank kits from Russia that would assembled in India. Taken together those 2 firm production agreements reportedly exceed $1 billion.
The modernized T-72 now known as the T-90 has reportedly encountered serious problems in Indian service, from issues with its Thales thermal imaging systems, to difficulties in hot weather, to low readiness rates. Meanwhile, negotiations with Russia over technology transfer issues had shelved the 1,000 tank indigenous production goal, leaving only the 2 firm production agreements. The Arjun project has continued to fade, however, with the Indian Army announcing in July 2008 that production would be capped at just 124 tanks. As the final act in the battle for the core of India’s future tank force, recent reports indicate that the Russians have removed their technology transfer roadblocks, clearing the way for fully indigenous T-90S production in India…
*The T-90 in India: Directions and Delays
*Updates and Key Events
The T-90 in India: Directions and Delays
As of December 2006, the 310 T-90S tanks imported from Russia under a February 2001 Rs 3,625 crore (about $795 million) contract are divided between the first lot of 124 T-90S tanks bought off-the-shelf, and 186 imported in knocked-down condition for assembly at the Heavy Vehicles Factory at Avadi.
The goal was to begin progressive manufacture of the follow-on batch of 1,000 from 2007-2008 onward, working under the license production agreement associated with India’s 2001 order. The idea was to build upon and broaden India’s indigenous capabilities as the process moved forward. The purchase of 330 more ready-for-assembly T-90 kits later in October 2006 would appear to be a deviation from this strategy, but as of August 2008, production of the fully localized Indian tanks has not even begun yet at the Avadi Heavy Vehicles Factory. Jane’s believed that the order for the 330 sets of T-90S components was driven by chronic delays in the production schedule of the domestic Arjun MBT, and multi-year delays in T-72 modernization due to bureaucratic vacillation. This turned out to be partly correct; as DID has reported before, those are chronic problems in India’s defense market. It seems that there was also a problem with full Russian technology transfer, however, which held up production at Avadi.
Confirmation of the T-90’s status as India’s future tank has also faced operational difficulties, including the in-service difficulties noted by an October 2007 MosNews’ report. These include repeated heat-related malfunctions of the fire-control system’s key Thales Catherine thermal imaging (TI) camera, lack of cooling systems leading to uninhabitable temperatures over 60C degrees (over 140F) inside the tank, and reports that at least one armored regiment had an in-service rate of just 25% for its T-90s.
The T-72s’ “Project Rhino” may eventually get started as well under the Army’s 2020 plans, adding reactive armor, electronics, sights, et. al. in collaboration with Israel, Poland and Russia. Persistent reports that many Indian T-72s lack effective IR-imagine equipment would appear to make such upgrades a priority item, but as Bharat-Rakshak notes, progress has been very slow.
Updates and Key Events (T-90 Tank)
Aug 20/08: At the 8th meeting of the Indo-Russian working group on shipbuilding, aviation and land systems, Russia agreed to full product support for indigenous production of T-90S tanks, including the urgent requirement of specification of T-90 gun barrels Those specifications will reportedly be delivered by December 2008, clearing the way for full T-90S production in India.
The meeting also finalized indigenization requirements for the Russian AT-14 Konkur missile systems and a computerised advanced information system for India’s new range of P-17 warships, while discussing more contentious issues like the Gorshkov carrier contract and the FGFA “5th generation fighter aircraft” joint project.
July 7/08: India’s army decides to cap production of the Arjun tank at just 124 vehicles. T-90 tanks will be the mainstay of India’s future tank force instead at 1,657 vehicles planned, despite ongoing issues with operations in hot weather. This overall plan changes the force structure proposed in 2006, from 3,780 tanks (1,302 T-90s and 2,480 T-72s) to 2,473 higher-end tanks (1,657 T-90 Bhishma, 124 Arjun tanks, and 692 upgraded T-72M1 Ajeya)
Read “India Plans to Cap Arjun Tank Production” for more.
Aug 29/07: India’s MoD issues a press release:
“Heavy Vehicles Factory has so far supplied 181 T-90 tanks to Army. No technical problems viz barrel bursting has been observed in T90 tanks. The problem of barrel bursting was noticed earlier in T-72 tank. The bursting of barrel in T-72 tanks occurred in barrels of Russian origin as well as of Indian origin. The problem was analysed in consultation with Russian experts and remedial action towards modifying the chemistry of material has been taken. This information was given by the Minister of State for Defence Production Rao Inderjit Singh in a written reply to Shri A Krishna Swamy and Shri Kuldeep Bishnoi in Lok Sabha today.”
May 16/07: Frontier India reports that India’s T-90S tanks continue to have problems with their torsion bar suspensions.
Note that the swastika was used in India for many centuries before the Germans ever got hold of it; it has a rather different meaning (“sun”) there.
Oct 27/06: A MosNews article “India Buys 330 Russian Tanks” reports that India is buying another 330 T-90s in kit condition, for final assembly in India. It adds that deliveries of the initial 124 T-90S tanks under the previous 310 vehicle order:
”...began in December 2002 and were completed within 12-14 months, while another 180 MBTs have since been assembled at Avadi and the first part of the order is nearing completion. The T-90S tanks have been inducted into six armored regiments in northern and central India.”
Oct 4/06: India Defence:
”...the Indian Army is to acquire nearly 1000 locally produced T90S Bhishma MBT’s by the year 2020, in addition to the 310 T90 MBT’s procured from Russia.
The Times of India Reports: The Army gameplan is to have 21 regiments of T-90S ‘Bhishma’ tanks and 40 regiments of upgraded T-72 M1 ‘Ajeya’ tanks by 2020 since the “speed and shock effect” of mechanised forces will continue to play a decisive role in future wars, say sources.
An armoured regiment typically has 45 tanks, along with another 17 for training purposes, war reserves and replacements. So, the 1.13-million Army intends to face future armoured battles with a mix of around 3,800 T-90S and T-72 tanks.”
A Russian column of tanks and trucks moves back from Igoeti checkpoint on the highway to Gori
A Russian soldier carries a Russian national flag as his unit leaves their position on the Gori-Tbilisi road near the flashpoint city of Gori
A Russian tank and other armored personnel carriers leave Gori
The six-point plan to end hostilities requires Russia's troops to pull back to their positions before August 8, but allows its peacekeepers to take "additional security measures" in a buffer zone near breakaway South Ossetia, inside Georgia proper.
"The Russian side has fulfilled the agreements set out in the Medvedev-Sarkozy plan drawn up in Moscow," Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov said in a report to President Dmitry Medvedev.
"The units' withdrawal took place without upsets, and was concluded according to plan at 19:50 Moscow time [15:50 GMT]," he said.
The troops have moved back into South Ossetia, and some are already at their bases, he said.
The announcement was immediately rejected by Georgia, as well as the U.S. and French leaders.
White House spokesman Gordon Johndroe told reporters that President George W. Bush and French President Nicolas Sarkozy had discussed the issue over the phone, and agreed that "Russia is not in compliance and that Russia needs to come into compliance now."
Russia has come under severe pressure from Western powers since its peace enforcement operation in response to Georgia's ground and air offensive to regain control over South Ossetia, a small province home to around 70,000 people that broke away from Georgia in the early 1990s.
Large numbers of civilians died in the Georgian onslaught, although figures still remain unclear, and thousands were forced to flee the province, mainly across the border into Russia.
On Tuesday, NATO said it was freezing contacts with Russia until it pulled its troops out of Georgia, and on the same day Western powers submitted a draft United Nations Security Council resolution calling for Russia's immediate withdrawal from Georgia.
Russia responded on Wednesday with its own draft Security Council resolution, reiterating the six-point peace plan signed last week by the parties involved, including the stipulation that Russia may take "additional security measures" in Georgia, while omitting any reference to Georgia's territorial integrity.
The six points agreed by the Russian and French leaders and repeated in the draft resolution include non-use of force, a definitive end to hostilities, free access to humanitarian aid, and a pullback of Georgian troops to their bases.
The remaining points address more controversial issues - the withdrawal of Russian forces to "the line prior to the beginning of hostilities," but only after international mechanisms are set up allowing Russian peacekeepers to "take additional security measures," and also the launch of "an international discussion of lasting security and stability arrangements for South Ossetia and Abkhazia."
Russia's president has said the two breakaway regions should be allowed to make their own decisions on their future status.
