Moscow has offered Delhi the technology of a new tank for further joint developmentAt the Aero India 2023 aviation exhibition, which opened on February 13 in Bangalore, its organizer, the Ministry of Defense of India, received an interesting offer.
Through the mouth of Vladimir Drozhzhov, Deputy Director of the Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation (FSMTC) of Russia, our country expressed its readiness to share the technologies of the Armata family of next-generation armored vehicles in order to use them for the joint development of the main battle tank (MBT) for the Indian national army.
Drozhzhov's pre-planned press briefing was held on February 14. Such events are carefully prepared in order to give them out with the greatest "pomp" to news-hungry journalists, of whom there are hundreds on Aero India. "The Russian side plans to take part in the joint development of the Indian main battle tank with the use of modern Russian technologies in the field of tank construction," Drozhzhov said, answering the question whether India has accepted the Russian proposal for the joint development of MBT based on Armata.
It is known that India plans to hold an international competition to select a foreign partner for the subsequent joint development of a new tank, which will be produced at the facilities of the national industry. Currently, the Ministry of Defense of India and the DRDO (Defense Research and Development Organization), which is part of its structure, are preparing and coordinating tactical and technical characteristics for next-generation armored vehicles. They will be issued to the participants of the tender as part of the package of tender documentation.
DRDO has been developing its own tanks for a couple of decades. So far, the results of the activities of local designers are quite modest. The Arjun and Arjun-2 models consistently proposed by them, created on the basis of German technologies (and therefore outwardly strongly resembling the outlines of the German Leopard 2), were tested and even built in small series. However, numerous technical problems alerted the military and instead of their own developments, Russian ones went into mass production – first the T-72, followed by the T-90S, then the T-90MS. They are manufactured at the state–owned HVF (Heavy Vehicles Factory) in the city of Avadi - the only large armored plant in the country.
In parallel with the implementation of the license program, Indian specialists are trying to squeeze the maximum possible out of the received Russian technologies in order to develop their own competencies. For example, local firms have been working on the modernization of combat armored vehicles for a long time. For the T-72 tank, based on its original engine, a new one has been created, characterized mainly by the installation of two turbochargers. The latter are produced by the local industry under an American license, and put them in a pair, since the power of one is insufficient.
Modified in this way B-84 (develops 840 horsepower) in terms of power, it is approaching the newer Russian V-92S2F (power – 1130 hp), which is put on the new T-90M/MS and T-72B, upgraded according to the T-72B3M type. A few years ago, Indian specialists demonstrated a high-power motor (about 1200 hp) at the DefExpo exhibition, noting the fact that it successfully passed tests according to the requirements imposed by Western manufacturers for equipment for NATO countries. In particular, the prototypes passed tests for continuous operation as part of the tank's power plant for a set time, as well as for a resource before being sent for overhaul.
In parallel with the refinement of Russian engines, local specialists cooperate with German firms on the topic of power units developed for Leopard 2. MTU engine samples modified to meet local requirements were put on Arjun and Arjun-2. In addition, these tanks were equipped with 120-mm German-style guns, adopted by the NATO bloc as a standard.
Government agencies subordinate to DRDO, and private sector enterprises that are actively involved in national defense programs, also cooperate with French companies on the line of sighting equipment, including thermal imagers (such as Catherine and others), which are put on Indian versions of the T-90. In addition, cooperation with Israel is developing. These two countries themselves produce MBT (AMX-56 Leclerk and Merkava families, respectively), but the Indian military did not like them. They are more interested in the hull saturation of these machines in order to improve the performance of the combatant T-72/T90S and the newly assembled T-90MS.
At one time, Indian specialists actively collaborated with Israeli ones on the topic of shots to 125-mm tank guns of the Russian model. However, created on the basis of 120-mm shot technology, originally developed for German guns, without careful consideration of the features of the barrel, the new ammunition failed at the stage of firing tests.
Similar cases were also noted with regard to 155-mm howitzers of increased firing range, which Indian firms independently developed on the basis of the Swedish FH-77, which were produced under license. Intense shooting sometimes led to the rupture of barrels. This delayed the deadlines for the implementation of national projects, and instead of domestic equipment, the Indian military bought foreign – including British-American M-777 howitzers.
Despite the increase in the share of Western equipment in Indian purchases (in particular, field artillery is switching to the "NATO" 155 mm caliber, gradually abandoning the "Soviet" 122, 130 and 152 mm), the local market remains important for our manufacturers. Therefore, Moscow is forced to make Delhi one offer better than another.
For example, with an eye on India and other large foreign buyers, on the basis of the serial T-90, variants of the T-90S were successively created (a more powerful 1,130 hp engine, French infrared devices in the sighting system) and then a deeply modernized T-90MS.
Then, on the basis of the latter, the T-90M "Breakthrough" was created for Russian tankers. Today, it is being used more and more actively and in a growing number in the zone of a special military operation in Ukraine.
For Moscow, it is useless to offer the DRDO model T-90MS as a basis for the development of a certain next-generation tank. To date, HVF has put the release of this model on stream. For the Indian military, the T-90MS represents a passed stage, they want something more perfect.
The only thing we can offer is the Armata family of armored vehicles of the next generation. The T-14, which is part of the OBT family, is the newest domestic development in the field of heavy armored vehicles. It is distinguished by an uninhabited tower, a promising radar and infrared survey system, a complex of active and passive protection against enemy shells. In the process of development and completion, the mass of the tank increased to 55 tons . Therefore, in order to maintain the level of mobility at the level of the T-90S, a new 1500 hp engine had to be introduced.
The prototypes of the T-14 have been tested both at landfills and in the conditions of the enemy's confrontation on the territory of Syria. Information about this was transmitted to Russian news agencies by various sources in the Russian defense industry. The use of "Armata" in Ukraine was also reported, but without references to official sources. Recently, a video has even appeared on the Internet where a similar tank is firing from a cannon allegedly in the direction of positions held by Ukrainian servicemen (whom the camera did not capture). Most likely, these shots are staged or shot in the conditions of the landfill.
Earlier, leading Russian TV channels showed reports on the training of fighters drafted into the army on partial mobilization announced in September last year, where they learn to interact with T-14 crews.
Over the past five years, the industry has produced dozens of samples of the T-14 MBT, T-15 BMP and other machines of the Armata family. They were demonstrated at the international military-technical forum "Army" and took part in the Victory Parade on Red Square. But reliable information about their use during the special operation in Ukraine has not yet been received. One of the reasons may be the fact that these machines are designed mainly for military tests in order to determine the real resource and identify shortcomings during operation in combat units. Sources in the industry said that the T-14 serial appearance will be armed with a promising 152 mm cannon, which will significantly increase its firing capabilities. Those samples of tanks that were shown publicly are equipped with a 125-mm gun. In short, in terms of firepower, it does not differ from the serial T-90M and older types of tanks undergoing modernization. It doesn't make much sense to send Armata into the inferno, since its appearance there will not change the general situation at the front.
The meaning will appear when samples with a six-inch gun and a full set of fully operational combat control systems are ready. In official sources, it is referred to as "a single tactical link control system that connects all objects with the help of software and hardware interaction complexes." In this form, Armata can act in a rethought role of a "commander's tank", in which a senior officer will direct the actions of subordinates on the T-72, T-80 or T-90. And for this, the latter must be modified by installing the appropriate equipment of the notorious "unified control system".
The need for "Armata" may also arise if the APU receives and throws American M-1 Abrams and/or German Leopard 2 tanks of the latest modifications into battle on the most important sector of the front. And even then, when the T-72B3/M, T-80BVM and T-90A/M widely used by Russian troops will not cope with them.
Meanwhile, information is coming about the improvements of a number of combat and serial tanks, taking into account the experience gained during a special military operation. Towards the end of last year, HBO noted the improvements made on the T-72B3 undergoing factory repairs with modernization.
And on February 9, new information appeared, which was revealed during the coverage of events at the Omsk Plant of Transport Engineering JSC. The Deputy Chairman of the Security Council of the Russian Federation Dmitry Medvedev and the Governor of the Omsk region Alexander Burkov visited the enterprise.
Talking to the employees of the plant, Medvedev said: "Yesterday, as you know, our enemy "begged" planes, missiles, tanks while abroad. It is clear that in this case it is natural for us to increase the production of various types of weapons and military equipment, including modern tanks. We are talking about the production and modernization of thousands of tanks. This task is worth it. It follows from the decisions that are made by the president of the country. Let's deal with this issue today."
Medvedev and Burkov inspected the workshop where the modernization of the T-80 family of tanks into a modern version with the index "BVM" is being carried out. An analysis of the video sequence shown by central television indicates a number of changes adopted for the OBT sample of 2022. The sight of the gunner of the "Pine-U" type is equipped with a mechanism for opening the armored shutters of the thermal imaging camera. Dynamic protection units have been added to the overhead shelves near the sloths, as well as along the side of the shield in a metal case. The shoulder strap of the tower is now protected by an anti-cumulative grid. In short, the level of protection of the T-80BVM is increasing. Probably, the same thing happens with regard to sighting systems and ammunition for tank guns.
Vladimir Karnozov
