Indian Army launches ambitious ₹57,000 crore project for 1,770 future ready combat vehicles

The Indian Army is investing ₹57,000 crore on 1,770 Future Ready Combat Vehicles, which include the latest innovations to improve survivability, mobility, and firepower. This defies the notion that tanks are no longer relevant in today’s conflict.

The Indian Army is preparing for a significant upgrade of its tank fleet, a bold step meant to refute claims that tanks are becoming obsolete. Senior officials emphasised that tanks are essential to offensive and defensive tactics, especially in large-scale ground engagements, and emphasised the continued importance of combined arms operations.

As a result of changing battle tactics, the Indian Army has reaffirmed its commitment to modernising its armoured capabilities in light of recent allegations that Russian tanks had suffered heavy casualties in Ukraine. The Army is planning to start a ₹57,000 crore project to construct 1,770 Future Ready Combat Vehicles (FRCVs) in India because it recognises the mobility, firepower, and armoured protection that tanks provide to the battlefield.

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Modern technology, such as drone integration, artificial intelligence, and active defence systems, will be included in these FRCVs to improve situational awareness and fight aerial threats. Three stages will make up the project’s execution, with the first involving the induction of 590 FRCVs. Newer technology will be introduced in each phase that follows, guaranteeing the best possible levels of lethality, agility, and survival in combat.

The Army is also modernising its current fleet, despite rumours that classic tanks are going extinct. Among them are the 118 locally produced Arjun Mark-1A tanks that have been upgraded. Furthermore, Project Zorawar aims to create 354 light tanks that are specifically engineered for high-altitude warfare.

An array of new technologies, such as infrared vision and more potent engines, will be added to the Army’s mainstay T-72 fleet. The combat-proven T-90S tanks will gain digital ballistic computers and automatic target trackers, which will increase their usefulness in the contemporary battlefield.

The importance of the updates and new additions was stressed by a senior official involved in the development in order to preserve the Indian Army’s armoured capability. Thermal sights, fire detection and suppression systems, and other equipment are also being fitted to T-72s. The officer said, “In response, the T-90S tanks will receive commander thermal imagers, digital ballistic computers, and automatic target trackers.”