T 90 india's tank troubles

India’s top tank T 90 is not battle-readyNinad D Sheth Thursday, July 20, 2006 22:34 ISTThe Russian-made T 90 is having trouble with its Indian-made ammunition, affecting the force’s preparedness.NEW DELHI: The premium tank of the Indian Army, the T 90, has serious troubles with its ammunition. The problems came to light last quarter but are yet to be sorted out. According to sources in the Army, while the matter has been taken up with the ordnance factory board, the indigenous ammunition already with the Army is lying unused.Instead, the Armored Corps has shown a preference for Russian ammunition. Among the possibilities is a move to import additional ammunition from Russia till the gaps in the current supply are sorted out. The T 90 uses a 125 mm smooth bore gun and the Indian made ammunition has problems in its packaging and the rate of fire that can be safely carried out. The unreliability of the Indian made shell is so serious that the army did not use it in critical numbers in the last two war games that were carried out in Punjab and Rajasthan. The T 90 is the front line tank of the Indian armored corps and India has 125 of these tanks. A further order for 400 tanks is pending with the Russians. In defense parlance, the tank force of the armored divisions is considered the core of the army’s offensive capability. The fact that there are problems with ammunition, points to a lapse in operational readiness of the Indian army. Sources say that this can compromise the new “cold start doctrine” of the Army. This envisages offensive operations at very short notice. Senior army sources say that for any cold start option, a reliable and strong chain of ammunition supplies is a prerequisite. The problem is all the more serious given the fact that as a weapon fighting system, the T 90 is comparable to the best in the world including the M1a1 Abrams tanks of the US. It is also the Main battle tank of the Russian army. However, without the right ammunition, the tank is of little use. Says General (Rtd) VP Malik, “The T 90 was introduced during my tenure. It is a first class weapons system. However, if there are flaws with the locally produced shells, it is a serious problem. When dealing with ammunition there has to be a very strict level of quality control and the problems once identified must be speedily sorted out.”Till such time that Indian factories come up with a shell that the army can trust or the bureaucracy gives speedy permission for further imports of Russian ammunition, the battle preparedness of the elite armored corps will continue to suffer.