India develops combat tanks at 3,000 m altitude to counter China

India's new line of tanks is expected to be able to operate at an altitude of 3,000 meters and be rapidly deployed by transport aircraft.

An Indian T-90 tank. Photo: National Interest

The Indian army is planning to produce a light tank that can operate in the rugged mountainous terrain in the northern border area with China, in case of conflict with Beijing, National Interest reported on September 12.

According to military experts, India's armored force currently possesses significant combat power with more than 1,600 T-90 tanks, 2,400 T-72 tanks and 118 Arjuns tanks developed by New Delhi itself.

However, main battle tank versions often encounter many difficulties when operating in mountainous areas because their firepower range is significantly limited.In addition, their heavy weight also prevents them from moving quickly on steep and rough terrain.

This reality has greatly affected the plan to strengthen forces in the northern border area to create a counterbalance with China, because Beijing also recently launched a version of the ZTQ light tank specifically for the Tibet region.

To overcome the limitations, the Indian Defense Research and Development Agency once developed a unique light tank version by combining the BMP infantry fighting vehicle chassis with the French GIAT TS-90 turret, but only stopped at the testing level.

New Delhi’s new tank is expected to weigh 22 tons, just slightly more than the US Stingker combat armored vehicle, allowing it to be deployed by Il-76MD, C-17 and C-130J transport aircraft if necessary. However, 22 tons is considered too heavy to be dropped by parachute onto the battlefield.

The Indian Army hopes the new tank can operate at an altitude of 3,000 meters above sea level and be capable of engaging targets from a distance of 2,000 meters with its 105 mm heavy gun and anti-tank missiles.

According to VNE