Indian Army News & Discussions

[digitaltiger]

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Looks nice , lets see how it works, good luck to ARDE.

[Makardhwaj]

The first batch of India's indigenously built state-of-the-art T-90 main battle tanks, with features like protection from nuclear attack, were handed over to the army today at a function in Avadi near here today.

The batch of ten tanks, each costing around Rs 14-15 crore, rolled out of the Heavy Vehicles Factory (HVF) here and were inducted into the army by Minister of state for Defence M M Pallam Raju.

HVF plans to produce 100 tanks per year.

Indian army has already around 700 of these frontline tanks in service and contract has been signed for purchase of another 400 off the shelf.

The tanks have features like capability to fire guided missile, in addition to the conventional ammunition, using the same main gun barrel and guided weapon system and ballistic computer facilties to ensure accurate firing of both conventional ammunition and guided missiles.

[RPK]

[agastya]

just one question do these tank have Shtora electronic protection like the russian T90's??

[DaRk WaVe]

just one question do these tank have Shtora electronic protection like the russian T90's??

nah, Indian T-90 dont have Shotra

[agastya]

nah, Indian T-90 dont have Shotra

soory i think i made a mistake guys in other forum pointed me out ::
i doe has have Shtora electronic protection suite
India's Latest Armour Addition - the T-90s

India's Latest
Armour Addition- the T-90s

Columnist ADAM GEIBEL writes about the addition of the Russian T-90 to India's armour inventory

Pakistan's purchase of 320 Ukrainian T-80UD/T-84 MBT in 1996 caused a rippling reaction in the Indian Army and India's defence establishment. Quite simply, successful integration of the Ukrainian tanks would create a shift unacceptable to India in the region's conventional ground power. With the indigenous 'ARJUN' MBT still nowhere near series production and the capacity to convert its existing fleet of T-72M1's to the upgraded 'Ajeya'/Rhino variation apparently overloading its Avadi facility, they began to look for external sources of modern MBTs. Two Russian tanks and two suppliers were short-listed; Rosvoorouzhenie's T-90 and Prom-Export's T-72S.

Russia's T-72S was an early favourite, since it's simply a product-improved T-72 that would easily match the Indian's current logistical stocks. By the early-1990s, Russia's Uralvagonzavod State Production Association had developed and put into series production the T-90S, which incorporated features of both the T-72 and T-80 tank families.

The Russian's T-90 offer was made to Defence Minister Mulayam Singh Yadav during his September 1997 visit and early in 1998, the Indian Government began negotiations with the Russians to add this MBT to its inventory. Dissenting Indian Army officers quickly claimed that they did not need (nor could they afford) this tank.

An Indian technical evaluation team went to Russia in February 1998 to test the T-90 at one of Russia's proving grounds and came back with praise for the Russian tank (other Indian Army officers doubted the testing could be done in mid-winter snow). The Russians produced an initial lot of 150 T-90's of which 94 equipped the Siberian Military District's 21st Motorized Rifle Division and a few were sent to the 5th 'Don' Guards Tank Division (stationed in Buryatiya). This heightened interest was due in part to the Indian Army's doubts about the T-72S' abilities, since the testing tankers at Babina (Jhansi) found that Prom-Export had repainted and overhauled old T-72's that were apparently offered as 'new'.

With the T-90S going into final production still some time away, India continued to express an interest despite doubts about the Uralvagonzavod (Nizhny Tagil) factory's ability to supply the tank. While it has many of the same features, the Indian Army considers the T-90 even lesser capability than the Ajeya (eg; lacking the Global Positioning System). Both the MOD and DRDO want the funds directed to the Arjun project and the T-72 production line at Avadi, near Chennai (At a cost of Rs 4,000 crore, it has a capacity to retrofit 250 tanks per year).

The Indian Army finally announced a decision to buy two Regiments worth in early November, 1998, to augment it's armoured forces on the western border with Pakistan. While Indian Armoured Regiments usually field 45 MBTs, a figure of only 70 tanks has been mentioned. This smaller deal, would still worth $US 250 million (Rs 800 crore).

One early estimate the Indian press floated for a 300-tank T-90 deal (a figure the Russian Defence Ministry obviously wanted) was $US1 billion (Rs 3,200 crore), a fraction of which would ensure the Arjun and Ajeya projects completion. This placed the individual T-90S price at $US 3.75 million (Rs 12 crore).

In addition to trials at the Indian Armoured Corps Center and School (at Ahmadnagar) with hot weather tests in the Rajasthan desert, some T-90S' were deployed during Exercise 'Shiv Shakti' in November/December 1998. An Indian defence spokesman said, 'Shiv Shakti' was the biggest exercise in a decade and involved about 66,000 soldiers (1,800 senior officers, 4,500 junior officers and 60,000 troops (known as 'jawans'). They were equipped with 700 combat vehicles, 300 tanks and 200 guns. An Indian air force spokesman said 130 planes and 30 helicopters would back the exercise.'

The biggest surprise concerning the Indian T-90S came in late December 1998, when the Indian media announced that the deal would total 200 T-90S. In January, 1999, the Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs (CCPA) had approved the purchase of 310 tanks in a deal totalling $US 1.176 billion (Rs. 5,000 crore). This was enough to equip five regiments, with sum of the $US 3.78 million, tanks left over for 'war reserve' and spares. There was also Indian media speculation that the Army might ultimately acquire 440 T-90S.

About 100 T-90S will be initially purchased outright, with the rest produced under licence at Avadi. The first regiments equipped by mid-1999 will be deployed near the Pakistani border in the Rajasthan desert region and neighbouring Punjab state.

Political repercussions in India continued into January 1999, with former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda accused the BJP-led government pursuing the T-90S deal in a covert manner. Declining to reveal the identity of the middlemen arms merchants whom he alleged were forcing the government to buy the T-90S, Gowda claimed that an inquiry would reveal the truth.

He also wanted the T-72S re-evaluated, claiming it was superior to the T-90; the T-90S was very expensive, had not been tested under Indian weather conditions and was not likely to be inducted even in the Russian army (though this was primarily because Moscow has not been able to afford to purchase a new tank family).

While the T-90S was still under trial, a military officer (at Army headquarters, on the deputy chief of Army staff level) closely associated with the T-90's evaluation stated that any suggestion of the T-72S superiority stemmed from 'motivated interest'. The deal was considered so lucrative that arms agents representing PROM-EXPORTS T-72S were willing to go to any length to change the Army's preference for Rosvoorouzhenie's T-90S.

Promexport even launched a major public relations offensive, inviting journalists for exclusive interviews at five-star hotels, showing confidential documents (including part of a Defence Ministry file) that favoured their T-72S and indicated that the T-72S would cost $US 705,000 (Rs 3 crore) less than the T-90S. Prom-Export also claimed that the T-90s hadn't been extensively tested in the Indian climate extremes. Rosvoorouzhenie simply touted that it's tanks were better.

With the most-recent rumours of the ARJUN being that only 90 would be built, the Indian Army's acquisition of the T-90S and it's initial deployment in the Rajasthan desert indicate that these will be dedicated 'Pakistani T-80UD/T-84 Killers'.

Unique Features of the T-90S

In addition to conventional armour, the T-90S is fitted with explosive reactive armour (ERA) and an NBC protection suite. It can also be fitted with mine-clearing equipment.

The T-90's 1A4GT main gun stabilizer and power system has a commander's manual override - unusual for Soviet/Russian designed tanks. However, this system is not used to fire the AT-11 missiles.

The AT-11 system is meant to engage tanks fitted with ERA and low-flying aerial targets (such as helicopters) at ranges up to 5 km.
T-90 SPECIFICATIONS
Combat weight: 46.5 tons
Crew: 3
Engine: 4-stroke, V-12 V-84MS diesel engine, 618 kW (840 hp)
Fuel tanks capacity: 1,600 litres
Road range, paved road: 650 km
Unpaved: 500 km
Ground pressure: 0.87 kg/sq cm
Fording Depth 5 meters (with 20 minutes preparation)
AD machine gun sight: 2E42-4
AD machine gun fire control system: PZU-7
1ETs29 with vertical stabilisation
Communications: UHF R-163-50 radio set,
UHF R-163-UP radio receiver
Fire Control Systems 1A4GT (with commander's override)
Commander's sight PNK-4S sight*
* includes a TKN-4S (Agat-S) day/night sight identification range
- 800 m (day) / 700 m (night).
Gunner's sight 1A43 day sight
1G46 laying device
1V528-1 ballistic computer
DVE-BS wind gauge
TO1-KO1 thermal imaging sight
TPN4-49-23 Buran-PA or Agava-2 sight*
* Buran-PA target identification range - 1.2 km to 1.5 km.
Driver TVN-5 infrared night viewer
Armament Electronic Countermeasures 'Shtora-1'
125 mm 2A46M main gun Infrared jammer, laser warning system with four laser warning receivers, smoke grenade discharging system which produces an aerosol screen and a computerized control system.
7.62 mm PKT coaxial machine gun
12.7 mm NSVT-12.7 AD machine gun AT-11 (9M119) Missile
3UBK14 weapon system with 9M119 missile Range: 100 - 4,000 m
3UBK20 weapon system with 9M119M missile First Round Hit probability: About 80%
Firing range: 100 to 5,000 m Armour penetration: 700 mm
Ammunition ERA penetration: 'ensured'
125mm 43 rounds including 22 on carousel Guidance system: Semi-automatic laser beam
7.62X54mmR 2,000 rounds Time of flight to 4,000 m: 11.7 sec
12.7mm 300 rounds Weight of missile: 23.4 kg

[DaRk WaVe]

soory i think i made a mistake guys in other forum pointed me out ::
i doe has have Shtora electronic protection suite
India's Latest Armour Addition - the T-90s

oops sorry, i read some where tht Russians are not ready to provide Shotra tht might be an old article

[Mig-29]

Does anyone has any idea about the status of T-90M , what would be the approximate number that would be inducted into the Indian army.

[sudhir007]

Rs 20k cr deals may end Army's artillery drought - India - NEWS - The Times of India

India is now going to float a mega global tender for acquiring 814 motorised howitzers in a fresh attempt to kickstart the Army's
long-delayed over Rs 20,000 crore artillery modernisation programme, bedevilled by the Bofors ghost and other scandals for almost 25 years now.

The project will include an off-the-shelf purchase of 200 155mm/52-calibre mounted gun systems from abroad, which will be followed by indigenous manufacture of another 614 such howitzers under transfer of technology.

"These 17-tonne motorised howitzers will arm 40 regiments. The project was recently cleared by Defence Acquisitions Council, chaired by defence minister A K Antony. The RFP is being issued," said a defence ministry source.

Yet another big project on the anvil is the outright purchase of 100 155mm/52-calibre self-propelled tracked guns for five artillery regiments, the field trials for which will be held around May-June 2010.

The 1.13-million Army is keeping its fingers firmly crossed this time about its artillery modernisation programme, which envisages induction of a whopping 2,814 guns of different types.

Not a single new artillery gun, after all, has been inducted ever since the infamous Rs 1,437 crore Bofors contract for 410 field howitzers became a political bogey in 1986.

If first it was Bofors, then it was Denel in 2005. And now, Singapore Technologies (ST) is in the dock after the defence ministry put all dealings with it on hold due to the alleged corruption scandal involving former Ordnance Factory Board chairman Sudipto Ghosh.

A worried Army top brass, in fact, has even asked Antony to allow the trials in different categories to go ahead while the CBI conducts its probe into Ghosh's case. The Pegasus gun of ST Kinetics, for instance, was to be field-tested from mid-June onwards in the project to acquire 140 air-mobile ultra-light howitzers (ULHs) for Rs 2,900 crore. Army needs ULHs to ensure artillery can be swiftly deployed in forward, inaccessible areas with the help of helicopters.

ST Kinetics was also a contender in the meandering Rs 8,000 crore project to buy 400 155mm/52-calibre towed artillery guns, which is to be followed by indigenous manufacture of another 1,180 howitzers. The other two contenders are BAE Systems and Israeli Soltam.

[AnGrz_Z_K_Jailer]

Army band for Moscow music festival

NEW DELHI: Army is now sending a band, with two officers, two JCOs and 40 other ranks, to take part in the international military music festival at
Red Square in Moscow from September 6 to 10.
"The Indian Army chief's band will take part in the music festival with military bands from France, Ukraine, Austria, UK , Italy and Finland, among others,'' said an officer.

---------- Post added at 06:58 AM ---------- Previous post was at 06:58 AM ----------

Link : Army band for Moscow music festival - India - NEWS - The Times of India

[AnGrz_Z_K_Jailer]

Defence production needs to open up


Despite having one of the largest defence industries in the developing world, India has not managed to attain self-reliance in defence production and its export performance has been way off the mark, says a study.

And excessive protection given by the government to public sector undertakings (PSUs) and Ordnance Factories (OFs) has bred incompetence and made these non-competitive, says the study by industry body Assocham and consultancy firm Ernst and Young.

"The state of our DPSUs/OFs, their production capabilities in terms of both, quality and quantity, their accountability, competitiveness, the production accorded to them and their management are directly responsible for the present state of affairs," the study says.

Also, an assured and captive domestic market, it says, has reduced the competitiveness and led to complacency.


"Excessive protection extended by government to defence undertakings including their management and Ordnance Factories has bred so much non-competitiveness in defence production that a meagre sum of Rs.11.6 billion was earned in foreign exchange through export items of defence items in last three years," it says.



India's defence industry consists of 40 OFs, eight defence PSUs and a small but emerging private sector.



"Even with an assured order from Defence Ministry to the tune of Rs 200 billion every year, defence PSUs and OFs, which have the capability to ramp up, have not made a dent in the export market and also failed to stop imports," the study says.



In such an environment with immediate emphasis being on only developing import substitutes, India lacks cutting edge technology to produce state-or-the-art equipment. "So it is clear that exports were never a priority for either DPSUs or OFs......

---------- Post added at 07:05 AM ---------- Previous post was at 07:05 AM ----------

Link : :: Bharat-************ - Indian Military News Headlines ::

[khabib]

Looks great. Hopefully, none of them will ever have to see real combat. Looks like prepare for desert warfare in Rajastan.

[DaRk WaVe]

Flaws in T 90 Main Battle Tanks troubles Indian Army

Inducted to serve as India's main battle tank just over three years ago, the Army's fleet of Russian-built T-90s have run into serious trouble.

The problems include critical flaws in its fire control system, availability of ammunition and, what military officers said, was avoidable overuse during training exercises, rendering many tanks in need of overhaul.

According to Jane’s Defence Weekly, the tank’s continuing technical flaws are "adversely impinging on the Indian Army’s operational preparedness."

Confirming the Jane’s report, senior Army officers told this newspaper that the French Catherine thermal imaging (TI) camera, which gives the T-90’s Belarussian (Peling IG-46) night sight its 3 km range and higher accuracy, is not "adequately tropicalised" and hence prone to malfunctioning in the extreme heat of the Rajasthan desert region, where temperatures inside the MBT routinely average between 55ºC and 60ºC.

During repeated manoeuvres in the Thar Desert, where the T-90s will ultimately be deployed in the event of an outbreak in hostilities, prolonged use under high temperatures had already "knocked out" between 80 and 90 of the Catherine TI cameras, rendering the FCS "unserviceable." The officers said that repeated efforts to correct the problem had been without success.

The TI cameras are the crucial "eyes" of the tank’s systems. At Rs 2 crores each, the Catherine TI system comprises almost one-sixth of each T-90’s total cost of Rs 11.75 crores.

One of the options currently being explored to rectify the FCS is to locally develop an airconditioning plant for the TI camera. For this, a former director-general of mechanised forces is understood to have already held discussions with some French manufacturers, including Thales (which makes the Catherine TI cameras). However, neither this nor the local vendors called in by the DRDO have had any success in this matter.

The Army, incidentally, does not have a D-G for its mechanised forces after Lt. Gen. G.D. Singh became deputy chief of staff at Army Headquarters recently. Under the circumstances, it could take any new D-G who is appointed quite a while before he can adequately address the T-90’s problems, possibly further delaying the MBT’s operational preparedness.

The problem of successfully integrating the Catherine TI camera with the Belarussian IG-46 sight is also believed to have considerably delayed the licensed production of T-90s at the Heavy Vehicles Factory (HVF) at Avadi. Sources said the indigenous T-90 production, as part of the transfer of technology agreement signed with Russia, which was scheduled to begin in 2006, has been deferred after problems were encountered in fitting out the FCS in assembled tanks. Of the total of 310 T-90 tanks, 124 were bought fully formed and kits were imported for the remaining 186 to be assembled at Avadi. The first locally-assembled T-90s rolled out of the HVF in January 2004, but these too have run into problems with the FCS.

According to the transfer of technology agreement, the T-90’s IG-46 sights were to be made at the Opto Electrics Factory at Dehra Dun, the gun at the Ordnance Factory Board facility at Rishikesh and its 1,000-horsepower engine by Bharat Earth Movers Ltd. All the three projects stand deferred, official sources said.

The T-90s are also facing a host of other problems, including a nearly exhausted inventory of ammunition. The tank’s 125 mm smooth-bore gun is electronically configured to fire imported Russian AMK-338 and AMK-339 shells, the supply of which has run out after innumerable exercises.

Surprisingly, the T-90’s gun has not been configured to fire the Indian-made AMK-340 shells. These shells have turned out rather dubious in quality, with over 150,000 rounds having to be destroyed, leading to the loss of over Rs 700 crores. Some AMK-340 shells have even burst inside the tanks, killing crew members, in at least one instance at Babina. Armoured Corps officers said many tank crews, who feared the shells would explode inside the barrel, had refused to use the faulty ammunition, and when forced to do so went to elaborate lengths, enabling them to fire from outside the tank.

According to the Armoured Corps officers, the ordnance factory board had triple-packed the 125 mm AMK-340 shells with propellant, but without adequate packing in between the layers to prevent leakage at high temperatures in which they are stored, often under the open sun. This had led not only to a near-complete freeze on regular firings but also "severely dented" the confidence of tank crews, sources said.

The Secunderabad-based Bharat Dynamics Ltd (BDL), which was scheduled to start production of 9M119 Refleks missiles for the T-90 early this year, has also fallen badly behind schedule amid failed trials. BDL is believed to have sought technical assistance from the Russians in building the Refleks (Nato designation: AT-11 Sniper) missile.

It was the T-90’s missile-firing capability that had initially clinched the Army’s decision in its favour way back in 2001. But with BDL unable to supply the missiles and the endless problems with the fire control system, many officers are of the view that the tank appears little better than the already proven T-72, also currently in service with the Indian Army.
Flaws in T 90 Main Battle Tanks troubles Indian Army | India Defence

[blueoval79]

Flaws in T 90 Main Battle Tanks troubles Indian Army

Flaws in T 90 Main Battle Tanks troubles Indian Army | India Defence

Old news lady......its been three yrs..since this article was written...don't you think these issues must have been sorted out by now.....

[gogbot]

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Although the T-90 is good tank in its own right. It does not meet all the requirements of the Indian Army.
Frankly I still done understand why the The Arjun was so bluntly rejected by the Indian Army, saying only that it was unsatisfactory. the only specific reason ever given was that the Arjun lacked angled armor on the turret. unlike the t-90. However, Sloped armor is being added to the front for newer models of the Arjun. It will be similar in looks to the LEO 2 or M1 Abrams front after sloped armor is added. plus its half the cost of the T-90.
Why O why is the IA trying so much to discredit the tank with no accurate reasoning?

So if anyone knows why, pardon my ignorance and explain plz