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13495
Wed, 07/23/2008 - 11:45
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http://m.oananews.org//node/13495
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India sets in motion plans to build futuristic tanks
New Delhi, July 23 (PTI) To keep up with the trend amongst major powers, Indian army today set in motion the process of building a futuristic main battle tank (M.B.T.),which will be inducted post 2020.
Army is visualising that the future tanks could be network operated sans the crew and has given the nod for framing general qualitative staff requirements (G.Q.S.R.) forsuch a mean machine.
Plans for going in for such smart tanks and infantry combat vehicles were unveiled today at an international seminar on future M.B.T.s, which was attended by the DefenceMinister A K Antony and Army Chief General Deepak Kapoor.
"Next five years would see all aerial combat unmanned and the same process could take over the land systems in another 10 to 15 years," said Lt Gen Dilip Bhardawaj, Director Generalof the country's mechanised forces in his presentation.
Asked if a future tank would be an indigenous effort, the Defence Minister said the emphasis would be on building an inhouse tank but, at the same time, did not rule out the possibility of a "collaborative effort on technology sharingbasis".
Antony was not forthcoming on whether plans to develop a new tank would sound a death knell for the country's maideneffort in producing Arjun main battle tank.
Though the Government has given the green signal for commercial production and induction of 124 Arjun tanks, the indegenious weapon platform is yet to be inducted into the army. They have to pass the final comparative trials withRussian tanks.
Asked whether more Arjun tanks would be inducted into army armoured formations said, Antony said: "Let us await thefull rolling out of the 124 sanctioned tanks".
At the seminar, Nikolai Malykh, Director General of Russia's biggest tank Producer Uralvagonzavod, said India and Russia were mulling the joint development of a futuristic 'smart' battle tank, featuring higher speed and betterfirepower.
Malykh said preliminary discussions have already taken place and UVZ experts will be coming to India to carryforward the issue on the margins of international seminar.
He said the new tank featuring higher speed, better firepower, sophisticated armour protection and a smoother ridewill mark "a great step forward in armour technology".
For the survivability of the highly trained human assets, armour-protected crew compartment will be sealed fromthe unmanned turret equipped with an automatic loader.
The crew will be networked with a virtual-reality command information system linked to reconnaissance aircraftand satellites.
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 inoptical, thermal, infrared and radar spectrum that will be accessible both to the gunner and tankcommander.
Leading industrialist Atul Kirloskar, who also spoke at the seminar organised by the C.I.I., lauded the Indian army for conducting a feasibility study for development of thefuturistic tank.
"We believe this seminar would enable the Indian Army to come out with a Request For Proposals (R.F.P.) fordevelopment of such tanks indigenously," he said.
Kirloskar advised the armed forces to frame "realistic parameters" which could be met by the private as well publicsector industry.
"When we know the specific requirements of the army, industry can plan and deploy necessary resources for design, development and production of such weaponry indigenously," Kilos. PTI
Army is visualising that the future tanks could be network operated sans the crew and has given the nod for framing general qualitative staff requirements (G.Q.S.R.) forsuch a mean machine.
Plans for going in for such smart tanks and infantry combat vehicles were unveiled today at an international seminar on future M.B.T.s, which was attended by the DefenceMinister A K Antony and Army Chief General Deepak Kapoor.
"Next five years would see all aerial combat unmanned and the same process could take over the land systems in another 10 to 15 years," said Lt Gen Dilip Bhardawaj, Director Generalof the country's mechanised forces in his presentation.
Asked if a future tank would be an indigenous effort, the Defence Minister said the emphasis would be on building an inhouse tank but, at the same time, did not rule out the possibility of a "collaborative effort on technology sharingbasis".
Antony was not forthcoming on whether plans to develop a new tank would sound a death knell for the country's maideneffort in producing Arjun main battle tank.
Though the Government has given the green signal for commercial production and induction of 124 Arjun tanks, the indegenious weapon platform is yet to be inducted into the army. They have to pass the final comparative trials withRussian tanks.
Asked whether more Arjun tanks would be inducted into army armoured formations said, Antony said: "Let us await thefull rolling out of the 124 sanctioned tanks".
At the seminar, Nikolai Malykh, Director General of Russia's biggest tank Producer Uralvagonzavod, said India and Russia were mulling the joint development of a futuristic 'smart' battle tank, featuring higher speed and betterfirepower.
Malykh said preliminary discussions have already taken place and UVZ experts will be coming to India to carryforward the issue on the margins of international seminar.
He said the new tank featuring higher speed, better firepower, sophisticated armour protection and a smoother ridewill mark "a great step forward in armour technology".
For the survivability of the highly trained human assets, armour-protected crew compartment will be sealed fromthe unmanned turret equipped with an automatic loader.
The crew will be networked with a virtual-reality command information system linked to reconnaissance aircraftand satellites.
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 inoptical, thermal, infrared and radar spectrum that will be accessible both to the gunner and tankcommander.
Leading industrialist Atul Kirloskar, who also spoke at the seminar organised by the C.I.I., lauded the Indian army for conducting a feasibility study for development of thefuturistic tank.
"We believe this seminar would enable the Indian Army to come out with a Request For Proposals (R.F.P.) fordevelopment of such tanks indigenously," he said.
Kirloskar advised the armed forces to frame "realistic parameters" which could be met by the private as well publicsector industry.
"When we know the specific requirements of the army, industry can plan and deploy necessary resources for design, development and production of such weaponry indigenously," Kilos. PTI
