Indian Army rolls out its first overhauled T-90 ‘Bhishma’ tank
The overhaul of the Russian-origin T-90 main battle tank was conducted by the Corps of Electronics and Mechanical Engineers
NEW DELHI: The Indian Army on Monday rolled out its first overhauled T-90 ‘Bhishma’ tank, a step towards ensuring the operational readiness of its armoured formations, officials aware of the matter said.
The overhaul involved stripping the tank down to the last nut and bolt and rebuilding it from scratch, said one of the officials, asking not to be named. “More than 200 assemblies and sub-assemblies were meticulously removed and rebuilt using precise machining and resetting techniques.”
Army chief General Upendra Dwivedi witnessed the rollout ceremony.
The T-90 tanks have been built under licence from Russia at the Heavy Vehicles Factory (HVF) at Avadi near Chennai. The army, which ordered a total of 1,657 T-90 tanks, currently operates around 1,300 such tanks. The initial lot is being overhauled now, HT has learnt.
The successful overhaul of the Russian-origin T-90 main battle tank, known for its firepower, mobility, and protection, was conducted by the Corps of Electronics and Mechanical Engineers (EME) at the 505 Army Base Workshop in Delhi Cantonment.
The technicians at the base workshop, using customised machines and test benches supplied by the original equipment manufacturer, have demonstrated their technical prowess by independently rebuilding and testing the T-90’s mechanical, electronic, and instrumental components, said a second official, who also asked not to be named. This has ensured the tank’s readiness for all-terrain operations and provided it a new lease of life, he said.
As the army continues to advance its technical prowess during its ongoing ‘decade of transformation’, the successful overhaul exemplifies the indigenous capability to maintain and enhance critical warfighting platforms, the officials said.
The development comes weeks after India’s new light tank Zorawar, designed for rapid deployment and high mobility in the mountains, fired for the first time at the Mahajan firing range near Bikaner. The 25-tonne tank has been jointly developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation and Larsen & Toubro under Project Zorawar to meet the army’s requirement for 354 light tanks. It was developed from scratch in two years.
The next set of trials will involve missile firing. DRDO is expected to wrap up various trials by January 2025 before the tank is offered to the army for extensive user trials.
The user trials could take 12 to 18 months as the army will test the performance of the tank in summer, winter and high altitude before it can go into production.
The tank is expected to be ready for induction into service in 2027.
