Indian army to induct 464 T-90 tanks |
Indian Army is ready to induct additional 464 Russian-origin upgraded T-90 `Bhishma` main battle-tanks at a cost of 1.9 billion dollars. The acquisition will be done in the time period of 2022-2026 to support the tank`s "shock and awe" capabilities on the western front. The order to produce the 464 T-90 tanks will soon be given to Avadi Heavy Vehicle Factory (HVF) which works under the Ordnance Factory Board. This comes after the cabinet committee on security cleared the license acquisition from Russia over a month ago. The Indian Army already has 1,070 T-90 tanks as well as 124 `Arjun` and 2,400 older T-72 tanks in its 67 armoured regiments. After the first 657 T-90 tanks were imported from Russia for 1.2 billion dollars from 2001 onwards, additional 1,000 are being progressively licensed and produced by HVF using Russian kits. This move comes at a time when the Army is reformatting its entire war-fighting machinery and the "Cold start" or "Pro-Active Strategy" which envisages fast mobilisation to strike hard across the border with multiple offensive thrusts.
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