From T-72 Delays to US Stryker Talks: What Army Chief General Upendra Dwivedi Said on India's Armour Plans

India's armoured corps comprises 68 tank regiments, and apart from the two regiments of the indigenous Arjun, the others are the Russian-designed T-72 and the T-90. And the Army chief, General Upendra Dwivedi, today said that when it came to the overhaul of tanks by a public sector unit (PSU), he acknowledged there have been "delays." In fact, he said there have been "slippages," though it does not hurt operational efficiency. While the Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) headed by defence minister Rajnath Singh and including the chief of defence staff and the three service chiefs, has just cleared the overhaul of several hundred T-90 tanks at the last meeting, there have been delays with the overhaul of T-72 tanks, with the Army chief using the word

"slippage" twice. However, he said, the quality of the overhauls were not a problem. When it comes to overhauls, new spares are necessary and the chief spoke of the OEM or the Original Equipment Manufacturer, in this case a Russian firm. Some spares for the T-72 still come from Russia.

Speaking about possible solutions, the Army chief said that besides the PSU, which routinely overhauls tanks, inputs from the Army's own workshops and possibly, private industry, would help to improve matters.

US Stryker in contention

Asked about the Stryker, the armoured fighting vehicle, used extensively by the U.S. Army, the Army chief said "it was one of the options" the Indian Army was looking at. There was a need for a vehicle like the Stryker, including Indian designed armoured fighting vehicles, but no decision has been taken. India wants an amphibious version of the Stryker, which has a crew of two and can seat eight or nine soldiers. There have been discussions between the USA and India at the political level, and if cleared by the Army, it can be produced in India. So far, the issue is still under discussion.

Two other weapons systems came up when Prime Minister Narendra Modi last visited the United States. The purchase of the additional P8I maritime reconnaissance aircraft remains stuck as the price is an issue. India has bought some Javelin anti-tank missiles as part of the emergency procurement programme.