WHITESMOKE
FULL MEMBER
- Joined
- Jan 11, 2010
- Messages
- 512
- Reaction score
- 0
NEW DELHI: India is undertaking an ambitious programme to upgrade its entire fleet of over 2,000 infantry combat vehicles with advanced weaponry and night-fighting capabilities, even as it inducts more T-90S main-battle tanks, upgrades its T-72 fleet and plans a futuristic "smart" tank for battles beyond 2020.
Army chief General Bikram Singh is pushing hard for speedy modernization of the 1.13-million force, especially the fighting arms of infantry, artillery and mechanized forces, which had virtually stalled over the last few years due to shoddy management of procurement projects as well as bad blood between his predecessor Gen V K Singh and the defence ministry.
The Army wants to bolster the "shock and awe" capabilities of its mechanized forces, which includes 63 armoured corps regiments and over 30 mechanized infantry battalions, in tune with its war doctrine that lays stress on being prepared for high-intensity, fast tempo and short-duration battles. Both strategic mobility and enhanced firepower are required for rapid offensive thrusts into enemy territory.
While infantry combat vehicles may be the slightly poorer cousins of tanks in terms of armour-protection and weaponry, they perform the critical task of carrying soldiers into the battle zone backed with fire support. Apart from being amphibious, they are also useful in urban combat and asymmetrical warfare.
"The plan is to provide desired offensive capabilities to our BMP-II and BMP-IIK infantry combat vehicles, which can carry 10 soldiers, on three fronts: thermal imaging integration, armament upgrade and engine upgrade," said a source.
Back-of-the-envelope calculations show the overall cost of this entire project could touch Rs 10,000 crore. The armament upgrade alone, for instance, would be worth over Rs 5,000 crore, with the BMPs to be equipped with two twin-missile launchers on each side, 2nd-generation-plus ATGMs (anti-tank guided missiles) and 30-mm automatic grenade launchers.
"It also includes TIFCS (thermal imaging fire control systems) to increase accuracy of weapon systems and panoramic sights for the commanders to be able to look in all directions," said the source.
While over 950 BMPs have already been fitted with thermal imaging modules, the rest will now be equipped with advanced "TISK" systems that integrate ATGMs, auto-canons and PKT machine guns to ensure they can be fired accurately at night. "This integration should be completed by mid-2014. The existing 285 horsepower engines of the BMPs will also be upgraded to 360 horsepower," he said.
As for the armoured corps, they have already inducted around 800 of the planned 1,657 Russian-origin T-90S tanks and 124 indigenous Arjun tanks (the Mark-II version of which is being developed with "89 improvements"), apart from upgrading its old warhorse fleet of T-72 tanks.
Army chief General Bikram Singh is pushing hard for speedy modernization of the 1.13-million force, especially the fighting arms of infantry, artillery and mechanized forces, which had virtually stalled over the last few years due to shoddy management of procurement projects as well as bad blood between his predecessor Gen V K Singh and the defence ministry.
The Army wants to bolster the "shock and awe" capabilities of its mechanized forces, which includes 63 armoured corps regiments and over 30 mechanized infantry battalions, in tune with its war doctrine that lays stress on being prepared for high-intensity, fast tempo and short-duration battles. Both strategic mobility and enhanced firepower are required for rapid offensive thrusts into enemy territory.
While infantry combat vehicles may be the slightly poorer cousins of tanks in terms of armour-protection and weaponry, they perform the critical task of carrying soldiers into the battle zone backed with fire support. Apart from being amphibious, they are also useful in urban combat and asymmetrical warfare.
"The plan is to provide desired offensive capabilities to our BMP-II and BMP-IIK infantry combat vehicles, which can carry 10 soldiers, on three fronts: thermal imaging integration, armament upgrade and engine upgrade," said a source.
Back-of-the-envelope calculations show the overall cost of this entire project could touch Rs 10,000 crore. The armament upgrade alone, for instance, would be worth over Rs 5,000 crore, with the BMPs to be equipped with two twin-missile launchers on each side, 2nd-generation-plus ATGMs (anti-tank guided missiles) and 30-mm automatic grenade launchers.
"It also includes TIFCS (thermal imaging fire control systems) to increase accuracy of weapon systems and panoramic sights for the commanders to be able to look in all directions," said the source.
While over 950 BMPs have already been fitted with thermal imaging modules, the rest will now be equipped with advanced "TISK" systems that integrate ATGMs, auto-canons and PKT machine guns to ensure they can be fired accurately at night. "This integration should be completed by mid-2014. The existing 285 horsepower engines of the BMPs will also be upgraded to 360 horsepower," he said.
As for the armoured corps, they have already inducted around 800 of the planned 1,657 Russian-origin T-90S tanks and 124 indigenous Arjun tanks (the Mark-II version of which is being developed with "89 improvements"), apart from upgrading its old warhorse fleet of T-72 tanks.
