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Army to buy T-90s despite 'minor' problems

Josy Joseph in New Delhi

The Indian Army is going ahead with the purchase of T-90S tanks from Russia, despite troubles developed by the Russian armour during summer trials earlier this year.

According to some army officers, the problems are "minor" and the T-90S purchase is "progressing smoothly", with the final deal expected "soon after the new government is in place".

A senior officer, involved with the purchase of the new battle tank, said: "Hopefully the new government in Delhi will sign the deal early."

The proposal to purchase T-90S tanks had kicked up a row in the twelfth Lok Sabha with former prime minister H D Deve Gowda and others alleging kickbacks in the deal and demanding that the upgraded T-72 be bought instead. They said it would be much cheaper, but their detractors accused them of supporting vested interests.

Another argument against the T-90S was that it has yet not been fully inducted into any army.

The T-90S tanks brought to India for summer trials had shown a heating problem at temperatures above 44 degrees Celsius. The summer trials were conducted in the Pokhran desert in June.

But the senior officer said these were "minor problems that can in no way undermine the combat worthiness of the tank".

The T-90S, the export variant of the T-90 battle tank, is a derivative of the T-72S series. The tank is armed with a 125mm smoothbore gun and the AT-11 Sniper anti-tank guided weapon (ATGW). A major improvement over the T-72S is the T-90's Shtora optronic jamming system. The Shtora has optronic infra-red illuminators that produce spurious coded pulse signals to jam the guidance of enemy ATGWs.

But the T-90S, which was first exhibited in 1994, is yet to be seen in action. And with the desert tests showing heating problems, there are several opposing the purchase. Monsoon and winter trials are pending, but they are expected to be over by January next year.

The Indian Army urgently needs a new battle tank, but controversy seems set to dog the purchase. Though army officers have dismissed objections to the purchase, it is expected to be a political hot potato.

Under the proposal, 200 T-90S tanks are to be purchased from Russia at a cost of $1.75 million apiece, while the rest will be manufactured indigenously. They will replace the outdated Vyjayanta and T-55 tanks.

Besides political resistance to the purchase, the Defence Research and Development Organisation too is expected to object to such a big deal, as its own MBT Arjun is still mired in controversy. The DRDO's attempt to produce a tank indigenously has not yielded fruit, with the army pointing out several flaws in it.

According to present estimates, it will take another 10 years before the DRDO can perfect Arjun. "We cannot wait for Arjun. That would not be wise in the light of existing threats and military needs," said the senior officer.

The T-90S's gun is fitted with a carousel-type automatic loader carrying 22 rounds. The rest of the 43-round total ammunition load is carried in the hull and turret. The gun is fitted with a dual-axis stabilisation system that uses an electromechanical drive for traverse and a hydraulic drive for elevation. The tank is provided with a snorkel for deep fording and ribs for mounting either KMT-7 or KMT-8 mine-clearing equipment.

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