ID :
13348
Tue, 07/22/2008 - 12:39
Auther :
Shortlink :
http://m.oananews.org//node/13348
The shortlink copeid
India, Russia plan joint development of 'smart' tank bY Vinay Shukla
Moscow, Jul 22 (PTI) - Buoyed by the remarkable success of supersonic BrahMos cruise missiles, India and Russia are now mulling the joint development of a futuristic 'smart' battletank, featuring higher speed and better firepower.
"We put forward this idea (of developing the tank) at the turn of the 21st century. The Indian side has now come up with a similar proposal," Nikolai Malykh, Director General ofRussia's biggest tank producer Uralvagonzavod (U.V.Z.) said.
Malykh said preliminary discussions have already taken place and U.V.Z. experts are now going to India to carry forward the issue on the margins of international seminar on Future Main Battle Tank (F.M.B.T.) organised by the IndianArmy and C.I.I.
"We will take the first step when our experts go to India to attend a conference on the future tank and prospects for the tank-building industry," Malykh told reporters on thesidelines of a defence expo.
Moscow Defence Brief (M.D.B.) magazine said the new tank featuring higher speed, better firepower, sophisticated armour protection and a smoother ride will mark 'a great step forwardin armour technology'.
For the survivability of the highly trained human assets, armour-protected crew compartment will be sealed from theunmanned turret equipped with an automatic loader.
The crew will be networked with a virtual-reality command information system linked to reconnaissance aircraft andsatellites.
Quoting sources the M.D.B. said the new tank is likely to have a new main gun of up to 152 mm calibre and a new hunter-killer fire control system with target acquisition in optical, thermal, infrared and radar spectrum that will beaccessible both to the gunner and tank commander.
Deputy Director of the Centre for Analysis and Technologies Konstantin Makiyenko said the new tank willconsolidate India's edge over the Pakistani Army.
"If the projects takes off, the new tank will consolidate India's edge over the Pakistani Army armed with Ukraine's potent T-80 M.B.T. and the Al-Khalid M.B.T. built jointly withChina and Ukraine," he told P.T.I.
Makiyenko noted that with the highest level of political trust and vast experience of interaction between Indian and Russian defence experts and engineers accumulated since the Soviet times, India is the 'ideal' partner for thepost-Communist Russia in developing futuristic weapons.
The expert said logically Russia's Uralvagonzavod would be the best partner for India in designing and building the new tank given a long history of its cooperation with Avadi-based heavy vehicles factory in the production ofT-72 and T-90S main battle tanks.
"We put forward this idea (of developing the tank) at the turn of the 21st century. The Indian side has now come up with a similar proposal," Nikolai Malykh, Director General ofRussia's biggest tank producer Uralvagonzavod (U.V.Z.) said.
Malykh said preliminary discussions have already taken place and U.V.Z. experts are now going to India to carry forward the issue on the margins of international seminar on Future Main Battle Tank (F.M.B.T.) organised by the IndianArmy and C.I.I.
"We will take the first step when our experts go to India to attend a conference on the future tank and prospects for the tank-building industry," Malykh told reporters on thesidelines of a defence expo.
Moscow Defence Brief (M.D.B.) magazine said the new tank featuring higher speed, better firepower, sophisticated armour protection and a smoother ride will mark 'a great step forwardin armour technology'.
For the survivability of the highly trained human assets, armour-protected crew compartment will be sealed from theunmanned turret equipped with an automatic loader.
The crew will be networked with a virtual-reality command information system linked to reconnaissance aircraft andsatellites.
Quoting sources the M.D.B. said the new tank is likely to have a new main gun of up to 152 mm calibre and a new hunter-killer fire control system with target acquisition in optical, thermal, infrared and radar spectrum that will beaccessible both to the gunner and tank commander.
Deputy Director of the Centre for Analysis and Technologies Konstantin Makiyenko said the new tank willconsolidate India's edge over the Pakistani Army.
"If the projects takes off, the new tank will consolidate India's edge over the Pakistani Army armed with Ukraine's potent T-80 M.B.T. and the Al-Khalid M.B.T. built jointly withChina and Ukraine," he told P.T.I.
Makiyenko noted that with the highest level of political trust and vast experience of interaction between Indian and Russian defence experts and engineers accumulated since the Soviet times, India is the 'ideal' partner for thepost-Communist Russia in developing futuristic weapons.
The expert said logically Russia's Uralvagonzavod would be the best partner for India in designing and building the new tank given a long history of its cooperation with Avadi-based heavy vehicles factory in the production ofT-72 and T-90S main battle tanks.
