India inks $248 million deal with Russia for T-72 tank engines | India News

NEW DELHI: India on Friday inked a $248 million contract with Russia’s state-owned Rosoboronexport (RoE) for procurement of 1,000 HP (horsepower) engines for its fleet of T-72 Tanks in “fully formed, completely knocked down and semi knocked down” circumstances.
“The deal also includes transfer of technology (ToT) from M/s RoE to M/s Armoured Vehicles Nigam Limited (or the Heavy Vehicles Factory) at Avadi, Chennai, for integration and subsequent licensed production of engines to boost the `Make in India’ initiative,” a defence ministry official stated.
“The Russian-origin T-72s are the mainstay of the Army tank fleet, which at present are fitted with a 780 HP engine. Equipping the fleet of T-72 Tanks with 1,000 HP engines will enhance the battlefield mobility and offensive capability of the Army,” he added.
Along with a fleet of two,400 T-72 tanks, the Army has thus far inducted 1,300 T-90S `Bhishma’ tanks of the 1,657 being produced by the Heavy Vehicles Factory underneath licence from Russia.
The Army power is now additionally inducting 118 indigenous Arjun Mark-1A tanks, with 14 main and 57 minor “upgrades” to boost firepower, mobility, endurance and safety, ordered for Rs 7,523 crore in Sept 2021. These 118 `improved’ tanks will add to the primary 124 Arjun tanks inducted nicely over a decade in the past.
Then, there are the 354 indigenous mild tanks for high-altitude warfare to be inducted underneath Project Zorawar for round Rs 17,500 crore. The want for such tanks, every weighing lower than 25 tonnes with a excessive power-to-weight ratio in addition to superior firepower and safety, has been pushed residence by the persevering with nearly four-year-long navy confrontation with China in jap Ladakh.