With the main battle tank proving pivotal in the modern-day battlefield, the Indian Army is looking to procure a new generation ‘Future Tank’ under the Future Ready Combat Vehicle (FRCV) project in a phased manner, with expected induction by 2030, according to official sources. An earlier ambitious attempt failed to take off and official sources said the domestic industry is now ready to take the project forward quickly.
The Mechanised Infantry too in addition to upgrading the large inventory of Russian BMP-II armoured personnel carriers in service is gearing up to procure a new vehicle under the Future Infantry Combat Vehicle (FICV) project.
“The Army is taking time to define the case and the requirements of the new tank. If all goes well, the prototype should be ready by 2030,” an official source said.
The Army has a large fleet consisting of Russian T-72 and T-90 tanks and two regiments of indigenous Arjun tanks with an upgraded Arjun-MK1A to be inducted shortly. “The tank has been the dominant battle-winning factor of the land forces for a long time and future wars will have mobile protected systems taking the lead. T-72s have been the main battle tank of the Armoured Corps for close to 40 years and are now required to be replaced with a modern state-of-the-art tank,” the source said.
With the rapid advancement in asymmetric technologies, threats from the air have emerged as the biggest challenge for the tank, the official noted with the proliferation of small drones, unmanned combat aerial vehicles (UCAV) and loitering munitions among others. “Active protection systems are being used and half the drone problem can be sorted if the drills are correct,” the source stated.
The improvement in Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) has also made the targeting of land systems easier, another source said, adding, “The battlefield now requires all forces to operate in a synergetic and networked environment.”
To counter the drone threat, the existing air defence guns are being modified for hard kill, to shoot down small drones.
New infantry combat vehicles
The Army’s Mechanised Infantry operates the versatile BMP-IIs which are in the process of being upgraded including night enablement and the second generation Konkurs wire guided Anti-Tank Guided Missiles (ATGM) on them are being replaced with an indigenous third gen ATGM. In parallel, the FICV project and induction of other new platforms are also underway, officials explained.
The Army is also looking at new airburst ammunition that can be fired from the 30 mm cannon of BMPs to destroy drones. A threat cum capability-based approach is being adopted while contextualising the modernisation plan, one of the sources cited above said.
Elaborating on the modernisation plan of the Mechanised Infantry, the source said that planned acquisitions include a tracked FICV to replace the BMP-II. The Acceptance of Necessity (AoN) for 480 new vehicles is expected to be put up before the Defence Acquisition Council in its next meeting, one of the sources said.
The indigenous third gen Nag Missile System (NAMIS) is being inducted for reconnaissance and support battalions and the DAC has accorded amendment to AoN for quantity 13 Nag missile carriers and 293 Nag Missiles in July 2022. In addition, DAC has also accorded approval for 177 Infantry Combat Vehicle - Command and control platforms in July.
In the wheeled category of vehicles, DAC has already approved the procurement of 105 New Wheeled Armoured Fighting Vehicles (Wh-AFV) and 1,080 ATGMs to replace the existing ones. Procurement of a new Light Armoured Multi-Purpose Vehicle (LAMV) with enhanced mobility and protection to replace the existing modified Maruti Gypsy with the Recce Platoons is also underway.
On the firepower upgradation underway, officials added that these include fire and forget ATGMs, acquisition of canister launched Loitering Munitions integrated on the BMP-II chassis and a project for IST System (ISAT-S) on BMP chassis.
