Indian Army Tanks vs Pakistan Army Tanks : Who would win?

[INDIAPOSITIVE]

The Indian subcontinent is home to two of the largest armies on Earth. Not only are the armies of India and Pakistan both larger in personnel than the U.S. Army, but they have stood at alert facing one another since the dissolution of the British Indian Army in 1947. The two armies have clashed four times in the past seventy years, and may yet do so again in the future.

Indian MBT force at present is complied mostly of Russian-made T-72M1 “Ajeyas” and T-90 “Bhisma” which have been produced at Heavy Vehicles Factory at Avadi. Indian MBT forces also comprises of a small number of indigenously made Arjun Mk.1 Main Battle Tanks while Arjun Mk.2 is still awaiting orders from Army after it has run into various technical problems with Army.

Pakistan MBT force on other hand is heavily dependent on Pakistan and Ukrainian machines which include Al-Khalid , T-80UD , Al-Zarrar and a host of 2nd Generation Chinese-made Main Battle Tanks which form the bulk of Pakistan MBT force.

Before we start comparing the two MBT forces we would like to say that this is a pure head-to-head comparison since in a tank battle many things like ATGM Teams , Support Troopers , Armored Vehicles and tactics are considered which will make the whole article nothing short of a a military thesis. So as a fact they will not be considered here for sake of maintaining the readability and interest of the reader.

Indian Tank Force : Strengths and Weaknesses

Indian Army is equipped with Weapons from a number of sources, primarily Russia and a growing domestic arms industry, with increasing amounts of Israeli and American weaponry. More than 4,000 tanks equip the country’s ninety-seven armored regiments (the equivalent of American battalions), including 2,400 older T-72 tanks, 1,600 T-90 tanks, and approximately 360 Arjun Mk.1 and Mk.2 tanks. Complementing the T-72/90 tanks in armored and mechanized infantry formations are BMP-2 mechanized infantry combat vehicles.

Most of the Indian Army’s 4,000 artillery pieces are from Russia, including newer 300-millimeter Smerch multiple launch rocket systems, but the country appears to be turning away from Russian field artillery towards American towed M777 and South Korean K-9 Thunder self-propelled howitzers. A new howitzer, the Dhanush, appears close to widespread adoption. Air defense artillery, on the other hand, is dominated by Russian equipment, from battlefield Tunguska self-propelled anti-aircraft guns to S-400 “Triumf” high-altitude air-defense missiles.

India uses almost 1200+ T-90 “Bhisma” tanks currently which are assembled at HVF , Avadi from knockdown kits from Russia. These tanks features a number of Indian flicks which makes it in a way ‘superior’ to the Russian version. This includes THALES Catherine-FC gen-3 thermal imager , Kanchan Armor , Matis-STD thermal imager , DVE-BS meteorological sensor , 1V528-1 ballistics computer and KONTAKT-5 ERA which gives it a decisive edge in the combat. It features a 2A46M 125mm Cannon which is capable to fire HEAT , HESH , HE , Frag rounds which includes INVAR ATGM.


The strength of Indian tank force also lies with Arjun tank which feature protection far exceeding any tank in Indian subcontinent. You will be surprised to know that its armor withstood 3BM-42 Mango APFSDS round fired from a T-72 cannon. In case of a battle it can tank multiple hits from enemies and directly attack them while Indian T-90 and T-72 can flank the enemies around. Arjun reportedly had some availability problems due to lack of spares which were fixed later

However some serious problems plague the Indian tank force. This includes grounding of Arjun tank fleet (rectified now) , tank breakdowns (as happened with Indian T-90 in Tank Biathlon) , night fighting problems and problems with the sights it uses. Thankfully all have been rectified now to the best but these problems have shown how Indian tank force have been deficient . It also needs to rapidly replace its ageing platforms like T-72 with modern day-MBTs if it wants to keep its decisive edge on its adversaries.

India has place orders for 464 T-90SM main battle tanks to arguments its current fleet of T-90s MBT which will now take total orders over the 1300s. While India continues to rely on Russian-supplied Main Battle tanks which form a large chunk of its Tank fleet while it continuously keeps ignoring Indigenous homegrown Arjun Main Battle tanks

Arjun Mark 2

The Arjun Mk-2 is a new generation of main battle tank (MBT) designed and developed by the Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO) of India.

The main armament of the Arjun Mk II main battle tank consists of one 120mm rifled gun fitted with a thermal sleeve, fume extractor, and a muzzle reference system. The gun is able to fire a full range of ammunitions including FSAPDS (Fin Stabilized Armour Piercing Discarding Sabot), HESH (High-Explosive Squash Head), PCB, TB and the Israeli LAser Homing Anti-Tank (LAHAT) missile. LAser Homing Attack Missile, or LAHAT, is an advanced missile developed and manufactured by the MBT Division of Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI).

The front part of the chassis and the turret are fitted with an integrated explosive reactive armor (ERA) system. The all-round protection has been enhanced with improved KANCHAN armour, a modular composite armour developed by India. It has been described as being made by sandwiching composite panels between Rolled homogeneous armour (RHA). This armour is able to defeat APDS and HEAT rounds and is believed to withstand APFSDS.

Pakistan Tank Force : Strength and Weakness

The one tank which Pakistan tank fleet can pride upon is : T-80UD. It is unarguably the most protected and most advanced battle tank in Pakistani MBT fleet. In 1996 , PA bought some 320 T-80UD from Ukraine. It features a 1A45 fire control system same as T-90 and also features 1V528 ballistic computer , meteorological sensors and more. Its armor protection is quite better than the T-72 but is a bit inferior to T-90 “Bhisma”. It uses passive steel armor zand composite armor for protection and features safe maneuvering angles which adds to its protection means. PA bought these as a means to counter Indian acquisition of T-90 tanks. According to many sources these tanks are quite better to comparable Soviet Platforms and may give a tough fight to Indian tank fleet in case of a conflict.


The main battle tank of the Pakistani Army is the Al-Khalid, a 48 ton derivative of the Chinese T-96, which in turn is based on Soviet tank designs. It also has the usual Russian 125mm smoothbore gun that can fire the AT-11 anti-tank missile as well as shells. With a 1,200hp supercharged diesel engine, it is capable of up to 76kph. The tank has modular composite armor, can be fitted with reactive plates, and has a standard suite of safety features and sensors.

Pakistan fields two secondary main battle tanks in support of their Al-Khalids. The first and most capable is the 42.5 ton Ukrainian T-80UD. It is powered by a 1,000-hp turbo diesel engine, with a top speed of 70kph. It

IT has a crew of 3, is armed with a 125mm smoothbore gun that can fire AT-8 anti-tank missiles as well as shells, an autoloader, and composite armor. It has a standard complement of modern safety features and sensors, as well as the compact, low-profile design that Soviet/Russian armor specializes in.

The other Pakistani supporting design is the Al-Zarrar, which is a Chinese refit of the venerable Soviet T-55. The five decade old design has been up-gunned to feature a 125mm gun, been fitted with reactive armor to improve survivability, and has better fire control features.

This shows the importance of tactics in any battle. Tactics were also used many time by Indian Tankers during Battle of Asal-Uttar where Indian tanks crushed the Pakistani Pattons and lead to a decisive Indian victory.

There has been a long term used for Indian Tank thrust into Pakistan territory called “Col Start” which involves limited-war strategy to capture Pakistani territory in a short time without risking a nuclear war. Such an offensive would involved Pakistani conventional defeat and also risk a highly probable nuclear war.

Pakistan is also negotiating with Chinese to procure VT4 main battle tank which comes powered by 1,300 hp engine armed with 125mm smoothbore cannon . weighing 52 tonnes , Once inducted VT4 will be the heaviest tank to be operated by Pakistan Army’s Armoured Corps.

The adversarial relationship between India and Pakistan makes the Indian subcontinent one of the most dangerous places on Earth. The disparity in forces, war plans on both sides, and the presence of tactical nuclear weapons makes a regional nuclear war—even a limited one—a real possibility.

https://defenceupdate.in/indian-army-tanks-vs-pakistan-army-tanks-who-would-win/

 

[RealNapster]

Atgm's

 

[Indus Pakistan]

Battle of Asal-Uttar where Indian tanks crushed the Pakistani Pattons and lead to a decisive Indian victory.

This proves how the source is so objective and impartial. [bullshat]

 

[El Sidd]

We shall soon find out.

Indian tanks have a lot riding on them ever since cold start doctrine age hit India

 

[MultaniGuy]

You mean Arjunk? LOL.

 

[Joe Shearer]

The Indian subcontinent is home to two of the largest armies on Earth. Not only are the armies of India and Pakistan both larger in personnel than the U.S. Army, but they have stood at alert facing one another since the dissolution of the British Indian Army in 1947. The two armies have clashed four times in the past seventy years, and may yet do so again in the future.

Indian MBT force at present is complied mostly of Russian-made T-72M1 “Ajeyas” and T-90 “Bhisma” which have been produced at Heavy Vehicles Factory at Avadi. Indian MBT forces also comprises of a small number of indigenously made Arjun Mk.1 Main Battle Tanks while Arjun Mk.2 is still awaiting orders from Army after it has run into various technical problems with Army.

Pakistan MBT force on other hand is heavily dependent on Pakistan and Ukrainian machines which include Al-Khalid , T-80UD , Al-Zarrar and a host of 2nd Generation Chinese-made Main Battle Tanks which form the bulk of Pakistan MBT force.

Before we start comparing the two MBT forces we would like to say that this is a pure head-to-head comparison since in a tank battle many things like ATGM Teams , Support Troopers , Armored Vehicles and tactics are considered which will make the whole article nothing short of a a military thesis. So as a fact they will not be considered here for sake of maintaining the readability and interest of the reader.

Indian Tank Force : Strengths and Weaknesses

Indian Army is equipped with Weapons from a number of sources, primarily Russia and a growing domestic arms industry, with increasing amounts of Israeli and American weaponry. More than 4,000 tanks equip the country’s ninety-seven armored regiments (the equivalent of American battalions), including 2,400 older T-72 tanks, 1,600 T-90 tanks, and approximately 360 Arjun Mk.1 and Mk.2 tanks. Complementing the T-72/90 tanks in armored and mechanized infantry formations are BMP-2 mechanized infantry combat vehicles.

Most of the Indian Army’s 4,000 artillery pieces are from Russia, including newer 300-millimeter Smerch multiple launch rocket systems, but the country appears to be turning away from Russian field artillery towards American towed M777 and South Korean K-9 Thunder self-propelled howitzers. A new howitzer, the Dhanush, appears close to widespread adoption. Air defense artillery, on the other hand, is dominated by Russian equipment, from battlefield Tunguska self-propelled anti-aircraft guns to S-400 “Triumf” high-altitude air-defense missiles.

India uses almost 1200+ T-90 “Bhisma” tanks currently which are assembled at HVF , Avadi from knockdown kits from Russia. These tanks features a number of Indian flicks which makes it in a way ‘superior’ to the Russian version. This includes THALES Catherine-FC gen-3 thermal imager , Kanchan Armor , Matis-STD thermal imager , DVE-BS meteorological sensor , 1V528-1 ballistics computer and KONTAKT-5 ERA which gives it a decisive edge in the combat. It features a 2A46M 125mm Cannon which is capable to fire HEAT , HESH , HE , Frag rounds which includes INVAR ATGM.


The strength of Indian tank force also lies with Arjun tank which feature protection far exceeding any tank in Indian subcontinent. You will be surprised to know that its armor withstood 3BM-42 Mango APFSDS round fired from a T-72 cannon. In case of a battle it can tank multiple hits from enemies and directly attack them while Indian T-90 and T-72 can flank the enemies around. Arjun reportedly had some availability problems due to lack of spares which were fixed later

However some serious problems plague the Indian tank force. This includes grounding of Arjun tank fleet (rectified now) , tank breakdowns (as happened with Indian T-90 in Tank Biathlon) , night fighting problems and problems with the sights it uses. Thankfully all have been rectified now to the best but these problems have shown how Indian tank force have been deficient . It also needs to rapidly replace its ageing platforms like T-72 with modern day-MBTs if it wants to keep its decisive edge on its adversaries.

India has place orders for 464 T-90SM main battle tanks to arguments its current fleet of T-90s MBT which will now take total orders over the 1300s. While India continues to rely on Russian-supplied Main Battle tanks which form a large chunk of its Tank fleet while it continuously keeps ignoring Indigenous homegrown Arjun Main Battle tanks

Arjun Mark 2

The Arjun Mk-2 is a new generation of main battle tank (MBT) designed and developed by the Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO) of India.

The main armament of the Arjun Mk II main battle tank consists of one 120mm rifled gun fitted with a thermal sleeve, fume extractor, and a muzzle reference system. The gun is able to fire a full range of ammunitions including FSAPDS (Fin Stabilized Armour Piercing Discarding Sabot), HESH (High-Explosive Squash Head), PCB, TB and the Israeli LAser Homing Anti-Tank (LAHAT) missile. LAser Homing Attack Missile, or LAHAT, is an advanced missile developed and manufactured by the MBT Division of Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI).

The front part of the chassis and the turret are fitted with an integrated explosive reactive armor (ERA) system. The all-round protection has been enhanced with improved KANCHAN armour, a modular composite armour developed by India. It has been described as being made by sandwiching composite panels between Rolled homogeneous armour (RHA). This armour is able to defeat APDS and HEAT rounds and is believed to withstand APFSDS.

Pakistan Tank Force : Strength and Weakness

The one tank which Pakistan tank fleet can pride upon is : T-80UD. It is unarguably the most protected and most advanced battle tank in Pakistani MBT fleet. In 1996 , PA bought some 320 T-80UD from Ukraine. It features a 1A45 fire control system same as T-90 and also features 1V528 ballistic computer , meteorological sensors and more. Its armor protection is quite better than the T-72 but is a bit inferior to T-90 “Bhisma”. It uses passive steel armor zand composite armor for protection and features safe maneuvering angles which adds to its protection means. PA bought these as a means to counter Indian acquisition of T-90 tanks. According to many sources these tanks are quite better to comparable Soviet Platforms and may give a tough fight to Indian tank fleet in case of a conflict.


The main battle tank of the Pakistani Army is the Al-Khalid, a 48 ton derivative of the Chinese T-96, which in turn is based on Soviet tank designs. It also has the usual Russian 125mm smoothbore gun that can fire the AT-11 anti-tank missile as well as shells. With a 1,200hp supercharged diesel engine, it is capable of up to 76kph. The tank has modular composite armor, can be fitted with reactive plates, and has a standard suite of safety features and sensors.

Pakistan fields two secondary main battle tanks in support of their Al-Khalids. The first and most capable is the 42.5 ton Ukrainian T-80UD. It is powered by a 1,000-hp turbo diesel engine, with a top speed of 70kph. It

IT has a crew of 3, is armed with a 125mm smoothbore gun that can fire AT-8 anti-tank missiles as well as shells, an autoloader, and composite armor. It has a standard complement of modern safety features and sensors, as well as the compact, low-profile design that Soviet/Russian armor specializes in.

The other Pakistani supporting design is the Al-Zarrar, which is a Chinese refit of the venerable Soviet T-55. The five decade old design has been up-gunned to feature a 125mm gun, been fitted with reactive armor to improve survivability, and has better fire control features.

This shows the importance of tactics in any battle. Tactics were also used many time by Indian Tankers during Battle of Asal-Uttar where Indian tanks crushed the Pakistani Pattons and lead to a decisive Indian victory.

There has been a long term used for Indian Tank thrust into Pakistan territory called “Col Start” which involves limited-war strategy to capture Pakistani territory in a short time without risking a nuclear war. Such an offensive would involved Pakistani conventional defeat and also risk a highly probable nuclear war.

Pakistan is also negotiating with Chinese to procure VT4 main battle tank which comes powered by 1,300 hp engine armed with 125mm smoothbore cannon . weighing 52 tonnes , Once inducted VT4 will be the heaviest tank to be operated by Pakistan Army’s Armoured Corps.

The adversarial relationship between India and Pakistan makes the Indian subcontinent one of the most dangerous places on Earth. The disparity in forces, war plans on both sides, and the presence of tactical nuclear weapons makes a regional nuclear war—even a limited one—a real possibility.

https://defenceupdate.in/indian-army-tanks-vs-pakistan-army-tanks-who-would-win/

I'm not your fan, and unlikely to be one in future, but have to acknowledge a good post.

You might like to tag @Signalian and do a comparison of Pakistani and Indian formations; what constitutes an Armoured Division in the PA, and what its counterpart in the IA looks like, in terms of formation and organisation? That will give you interesting insights. Also what is an IBG in the IA, and why it was felt to be necessary.

Thank you, again.

This proves how the source is so objective and impartial. [bullshat]

Why? Isn't it a fair assessment?

We shall soon find out.

Indian tanks have a lot riding on them ever since cold start doctrine age hit India

This is boring, when Pakistanis don't read posts in a Pakistani Defence website. Do you not remember the excellent post by @Tipu7? You mightn't have made that flip comment about the non-existent Cold Start doctrine if you had remembered that post.

 

[El Sidd]

This is boring, when Pakistanis don't read posts in a Pakistani Defence website. Do you not remember the excellent post by @Tipu7? You mightn't have made that flip comment about the non-existent Cold Start doctrine if you had remembered that post.

Evidence suggests otherwise.

It is my contention that the region is heading towards war.

 

[Joe Shearer]

Evidence suggests otherwise.

It is my contention that the region is heading towards war.

What evidence? Other than the day-dreams of Pakistani fan-boys? I urge you once again; read that post by @Tipu7; it might clear up many misconceptions.

As for heading towards war, the region is constantly heading towards war, ever since 1947 (actually, earlier, but I don't want to get THAT started again). But it only happened five times in a little over 70 years.

 

[El Sidd]

What evidence? Other than the day-dreams of Pakistani fan-boys? I urge you once again; read that post by @Tipu7; it might clear up many misconceptions.

As for heading towards war, the region is constantly heading towards war, ever since 1947 (actually, earlier, but I don't want to get THAT started again). But it only happened five times in a little over 70 years.

I will read it.

 

[SipahSalar]

The author can't even spell Cold Start and calls it Col Start. Typical article from an Indian website, offer token praise for enemy to appear unbiased, everything else is cow dung.

 

[Indus Pakistan]

Why? Isn't it a fair assessment?

Do you think it's even possible to come near a fair assessment on Indo-Pak wars? I certainly don't think so. Maybe after another 100 years of water under the bridge we begin to see that happen. Not that I plan to be around then.

 

[Joe Shearer]

The author can't even spell Cold Start and calls it Col Start. Typical article from an Indian website, offer token praise for enemy to appear unbiased, everything else is cow dung.

Sorry, but that (everything else) would include comments on it.

Do you think it's even possible to come near a fair assessment on Indo-Pak wars? I certainly don't think so. Maybe after another 100 years of water under the bridge we begin to see that happen. Not that I plan to be around then.

Fair enough.

Just judge what the result was, of Asal Uttar. I won't attack your version.

 

[Indus Pakistan]

Just judge what the result was, of Asal Uttar. I won't attack your version.

I have not read eough to feel secure in covering Asal Uttar but I know it exposed the weakness of PA in 1960s when it lacked sufficient infantry to tanks. But Asal Uttar in my mind is only significant in that it gives some joy in feeling good but the truth is it had nominal effect on the course of the war. The reality is Indo-Pak wars are boring. Like fight between two overweight, full of bluster teenagers who quickly tire and then call it quits.

I have never understood why India with massive population/resource advantage over Pakistan. The ratio is something like Germany/Belgium. Why India has not KO'ed Pakistan in a massive onslaught that kept punching, punching, punching until India's size bgan to cut away at Pakistan resulting in PA collapsing or being destroyed like Alied did to Whermacht in WW2.

 

[Cybernetics]

I have not read eough to feel secure in covering Asal Uttar but I know it exposed the weakness of PA in 1960s when it lacked sufficient infantry to tanks. But Asal Uttar in my mind is only significant in that it gives some joy in feeling good but the truth is it had nominal effect on the course of the war. The reality is Indo-Pak wars are boring. Like fight between two overweight, full of bluster teenagers who quickly tire and then call it quits.

I have never understood why India with massive population/resource advantage over Pakistan. The ratio is something like Germany/Belgium. Why India has not KO'ed Pakistan in a massive onslaught that kept punching, punching, punching until India's size bgan to cut away at Pakistan resulting in PA collapsing or being destroyed like Alied did to Whermacht in WW2.

There are 2 main reasons for the comparison you have made.

1. Doctrine and Technology
At the start of WW2 the Wehrmacht was prepared to fight the next war centred around the Blitzkrieg while other continental nations were still working out how to fight yesterday's war. Majority of nations have trouble effectively utilising new technologies in preparing for the next war, one of the reasons is that they were not the builders/designers of such technologies and lack a in depth understanding. Compare that to more technologically advanced France before and beginning of the war, they utilised their resources to create a more advanced version of WW1 strategy not the next war. The steam rolling outcome can only happen if the nation has a large advantage over its adversary in thinking and/or technology (ex. Desert Storm)

The US and UK had a technological advantage over WW2 Germany in new technologies such as radar and computing, along with massive firepower that stemmed from their immense domestic industrial capacity.

2. Industrialisation isn't just about having industrial assets, it is more so a state of mind and a way of organising society. There is a big difference between the organisation and mindset of industrial nations vs non-industrial ones. Industrial nations are able to concentrate and effectively organise their social resources for a particular effort, war is where it shines as it depends heavily on industrial production and social organisation. Industrialisation of society is deeply tied with ability for large scale and effective warfare. Industrialisation pushes ideas of an unified effort/group cohesion, specialisation, structure, organisation, technical proficiency, problem solving, etc.

WW2 was a war where entire societies' resources were mobilised, the Indo-Pakistan war was different, most of society weren't contributors to the effort. Essentially you need the ability to transition into a war economy for a "KO" punch for going up against a near peer competitor. UK was able to concentrate 50% of gdp on the war effort, the US with 40%, USSR at 60%. As the war progressed the Allies destroyed the Axis production through strategic bombing campaigns. To give a knockout punch to your enemy a fast and forceful thrust is needed, not skirmishes.

 

[punit]

I have not read eough to feel secure in covering Asal Uttar but I know it exposed the weakness of PA in 1960s when it lacked sufficient infantry to tanks. But Asal Uttar in my mind is only significant in that it gives some joy in feeling good but the truth is it had nominal effect on the course of the war. The reality is Indo-Pak wars are boring. Like fight between two overweight, full of bluster teenagers who quickly tire and then call it quits.

I have never understood why India with massive population/resource advantage over Pakistan. The ratio is something like Germany/Belgium. Why India has not KO'ed Pakistan in a massive onslaught that kept punching, punching, punching until India's size bgan to cut away at Pakistan resulting in PA collapsing or being destroyed like Alied did to Whermacht in WW2.

U really want IA to do that ! ( Hypothetically)