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List of equipment of the Indian Army

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This is a list of some of the modern & historical equipment used by Indian Army. Most of the army equipment is of foreign design and license produced in India but efforts are on to progressively design and manufacture equipment indigenously. About 40 Ordnance Factories under control of Ordnance Factory board manufacture most of Army equipment like small arms, ammunition, armoured vehicles, artillery etc.

Modern Equipment

Handguns

Sub-machine guns and carbines

Assault rifles

Soldier training with the INSAS rifle, the standard issue infantry weapon of the Indian Army

Grenades

Sniper rifles

Machine guns

  • MG 1B 7.62mmx51 mm, Indian made Bren- This is currently being retired. But may remain a while longer because of teething problems with its successor, the INSAS LMG
  • MG 2A1 7.62mmx51 mm, Indian made MAG 58
  • MG 5A 7.62mmx51 mm This is the Indian manufactured Co-axial MAG 58
  • MG 6A 7.62mmx51 mm Another Indian version of the MAG58 specifically designed as a tank commanders gun.
  • INSAS 5.56mmx45 mm LMG
  • FN-Browning M1919 .30Cal, in very limited quantities
  • Browning M2 machine gun .50cal, heavy machine gun in very limited numbers
  • M607.62mm LMG

Projectile launchers

Anti-Tank Guided Missiles

Nag missile and the Nag missile carrier (NAMICA).

Armoured vehicles

Arjun MBT.
A T-90 Bhishma tank on display.

Main Battle Tanks

  • Arjun MBT Mk1 - main battle tanks (64+). The Army has ordered production of this tank and the first batch of 53 of the ordered 124 tanks has already rolled out of the Avadi factory and are currently being put through trials to check the quality control of the production process. The remaining tanks will follow thereafter. Indian Army had bought 12 of these tanks for testing.
  • T-90S Bhishma - main battle tanks (610). Over 900(including Russian made 350 T-90) more T-90S will be manufactured in India by 2020. India signed a new contract for 350 additional T-90 tanks from Russia, total of 1500+ within 2020. .[3] [4].
  • T-72 M1 AAmirtanks (2,000+). 268 T72M1 are upgraded by the Heavy vehicles factory (HVF). While requests for proposal for upgrading approximately 1000 other T-72's have been sent to various firms in Israel, Russia, Poland and France.
  • T-55 (900): Some of the T-55 tanks will be attached to infantry brigades and battalions, as Tarmour AFV since despite their vintage, the 105 mm L7 gun has substantial firepower.[4]
  • Tank EX - under development, Cancelled
  • Vijayanta -(1800) Reserve

Armoured fighting vehicles

  • BMP-1 (700) and BMP-2 (1500+)Sarath -(AFV) mechanised infantry combat vehicles relegated the OT-62/64 to mortar carriers. The BMP-2 are now being modernized with TISAS (thermal imaging stand alone sights), better fire control, and more modern ATGM armament (Konkurs M). BMP-1 has been phased out and the upgraded BMP-2 is BMP-2 M with two thermobaric missiles and two tandem warhead Konkurs missiles. Its also has an integrated TI sight and an LRF. Has an AGL mounted on the turret which is also stablised in the horizontal plane.
  • casspir Mine Resistant Armoured Vehicles
  • BTR-80 APC
  • BRDM-2 (255) amphibious reconnaissance vehicles. Armed with anti-tank missiles.
  • FV101 Scorpion combat reconnaissance vehicles
  • FV432 APC
  • Mahindra Axe Light support vehicle
  • NaMiCa Nag missile carrier based on BMP-II

Artillery

  • Under Field Artillery Rationalization Plan, Indian Army plans to procure 3000 to 4000 155 mm Towed, Wheeled and Tracked Artillery Systems. [5][6]

Towed artillery

  • 155 mm Bofors FH-77B
  • Haubits FH77/A (370) - Upgraded Soltam M-46 155 mm towed howitzers
  • M-46 130 mm field guns replacing the 105 mm IFG Mk1/2/3
  • 122 mm D-30 towed howitzers (To be phased out)
  • 105 mm Light Field Gun (To be phased out)
  • 105 mm Indian Field Gun (To be phased out)
  • Metamorphosis 155 mm GUN by upgrading present M46 130 mm with a maximum range of 39 k.m.

Self propelled artillery

  • Abbot (105 mm) and M-46 Catapult (130 mm) to be replaced by 3600 new 155 mm self-propelled howitzers by 2025. On the short list is the Denel LIW T6 turreted Arjun and the Celsius (Bofors) FH-77AD[5][6] The Polish licensed version of the AS-90 self-propelled artillery is also considered.
  • Bhim-Initial reports that the Arjun hull might be used with a 155 mm self-propelled howitzer by fitting the South African T6 turret which has the G5 howitzer fitted, proved to be misfounded. The SPH would be integrated at Bharat Earth Movers Ltd, which would manufacture additional Arjun chassis & hulls for the purpose. At present, the Bhim SPH program is in limbo, since Denel has been temporarily blacklisted by the Indian Ministry of Defence, while corruption charges are being investigated.
  • SpGH 2000 Zuzana

Multiple rocket launchers

  • Smerch 9K58 MBRL (38) - 300 mm multiple rocket launch system. Further order for 24 units will be completed by 2010.[7]
  • Pinaka MBRL (80)- 214 mm multiple rocket launch system replacing the 122 mm BM-21. 80 launchers to be inducted by 2009.[8]
  • BM-21 (150+) - Modernized rockets with range of 40 km was purchased from Russia. To be replaced by Pinaka.


Air defence

Surface to air missile Systems

  • Akash- Under Trials. Due to delays in the Akash missile program the ZRK-SD Kvadrat / SA-6a Gainful air defence systems are being upgraded.
  • SA-6 Gainful- The Indian Army has sought to upgrade its SA-6 Kvadrat and SA-8 Missile systems whilst the Akash gets ready. The Indian magazine "Strategic Affairs " (No. 0011/ Issue: December 16) noted: "Poland has won an order worth $200 m from India to upgrade 100 Kvadrat (SA6) and 50 OSA-AKM (SA8) mobile surface to air missiles. The contract made public in August, is to be completed by 2002. The upgrades include integration of new radars, communications and control systems, improvements to the launch vehicle including new power packs. The Kvadrat upgrade includes new electronics for better electronic counter measures, passive infra-red search and track sensors."
  • SA-10 [9]
  • Trishul- Under Trials. Due to delays in the Trishul missile program the OSA-AKM / SA-8b Gecko air defence systems are being upgraded. Cancelled due to cost of production. [10]
  • SA-8 Gecko- In Service
  • SA-13 Gopher- In Service

MANPADS

Air Defense Artillery

Surface to surface missiles

  • BrahMos Land Attack Cruise Missile-[12][13]
  • Prithvi-I Short Range Ballistic Missile (500km) - In Service
  • Agni-I Medium Range Ballistic Missile (700km)- In Service
  • Agni-II Intermediate Range Ballistic Missile (2500km)- In Service
  • Agni-III Intermediate Range Ballistic Missile (3500km)- Under induction.

Non-combat vehicles

Engineering Vehicles

  • Bridge Layer Tank using a T-72 chassis and Kartik Armoured Bridgelayer on a Vijayanta chassis - armoured vehicle-launched bridges
  • Multi-Hop and Extended Span Assault Bridges on T-72 chassis
  • Sarvatra - 8x8 truck-mounted bridging system
  • VT-72B ARV (200+) and WZT-3 ARV (124, 228 to be delivered by 2007) - armoured recovery vehicle replacing the Vijayanta ARV
  • BMP-2 Armoured Amphibious Dozer and Engineer Reconnaissance Vehicle (ERV)

Mine protected vehicles

Logistic vehicles

Aircraft

This is a list of aircraft of the Indian Army. For the list of aircraft of the Indian Air Force, see List of aircraft of the Indian Air Force.

Template:Standard table ! style="text-align: left; background: #aacccc;"|Aircraft ! style="text-align: left; background: #aacccc;"|Origin ! style="text-align: left; background: #aacccc;"|Type ! style="text-align: left; background: #aacccc;"|Versions ! style="text-align: left; background: #aacccc;"|In service[14] ! style="text-align: left; background: #aacccc;"|Notes |----- | Aérospatiale Alouette III ||  India || utility helicopter || SA 316B Chetak || 60 || built by HAL |----- | Aérospatiale Lama ||  India || utility helicopter || SA 315B Cheetah || 120 || built by HAL |----- | HAL Dhruv ||  India || utility helicopter || ||~75 || To acquire 220 more Dhruv in next 5 years. |----- | IAI Searcher II ||  Israel || reconnaissance UAV || || 100+ || |----- | IAI Heron ||  Israel || reconnaissance UAV || || || |----- | DRDO Nishant ||  India || reconnaissance UAV || || 12 || Delivery of 12 UAV's in 2007. |}

Future Procurements

Light Utility Helicopter: The Indian army has projected a requirement for up to 197 light helicopters to replace its aging fleet of Chetaks and Cheetahs. The Indian Army chose the Eurocopter AS 550 under a US$550 million contract in summer of 2007. Under this contract 60 helicopters were to be supplied from Eurocopter in fly-away condition and the rest were to be assembled by HAL in India. This order was later scrapped due to allegations of unfair field trials from competing company Bell Helicopters. [15] [16]

Five global helicopter majors are in the fray to sell India 197 multi-role, light helicopters, in a deal worth Rs. 3,000 crore. Eurocopter AS550 Fennec; Bell Helicopters Bell 407; Kamov Ka-226, Agusta A109 Power or A119 Koala and McDonnell Douglas Helicopter Systems (MD 520N) have been given time till 19 December 2008 to submit proposals.

Weighing less than three tonnes when armed, these multi-role, light turbine helicopters will replace the 1970s vintage Chetak and Cheetah helicopters operated by the Army Aviation Corps and the Air Force. They will undertake tasks such as reconnaissance and observation, casualty evacuation, electronic warfare, escort duties, anti-insurgency operations and ferrying personnel to and from the battlefield.

Of the 197 helicopters, which are to be bought in a fly away condition and via knock down kits, 133 are for the Army, while 64 will be delivered to the Air Force. The helicopter deal is part of a mega modernisation programme which will see the Army eventually receiving 197 helicopters and the Indian Air Force getting 188. The deal also includes an offset clause, under which the successful vendor must source defence-related goods and services to the value of 50 per cent of the deal from Indian companies.

The process — including discussions on offset proposals, technical evaluation, short-listing by the Defence Ministry, hot weather and winter trails — is expected to be completed by the middle of 2010.[17]

References