India is planning to dump its fleet of T-72 tanks as a part of a broader effort to modernize its army, phasing out the growing old Russian-made tanks in favor of extra superior choices.
The Indian Military, which has roughly 2,500 T-72 tanks, has determined to improve and refurbish the older fashions for export to nations.
A senior official revealed that the tanks would endure refurbishment in India earlier than being shipped to worldwide consumers. “The tanks shall be modernized earlier than export, permitting nations in Africa, the Center East, and Southeast Asia to profit from these fight autos,” stated the official. The T-72 has been the spine of the Indian Military’s armored forces for the reason that Seventies, and many countries have expressed curiosity in buying the autos as India appears to be like to retire them from service.
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India started producing the T-72 within the Nineteen Eighties on the Heavy Automobiles Manufacturing facility in Avadi, close to Chennai, after initially buying 500 models from the Soviet Union. The identical facility additionally produces modernized T-90 tanks. Now, it’s going to function the bottom for overhauling the T-72s meant for export.
Technical collaboration between Indian and Russian specialists is ongoing to make sure the profitable refurbishment of those tanks. The transfer may open doorways for exporting different surplus army gear, comparable to Russian-made BMP-2 Infantry Preventing Automobiles (IFVs), that are additionally slated for modernization.
Regardless of the T-72 being essentially the most quite a few tank in India’s arsenal, the Indian Military additionally operates round 1,000 T-90 tanks and about 100 indigenous Arjun tanks.
