The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : First indigenously built T-90 S rolls out

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Tuesday, Aug 25, 2009
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Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

First indigenously built T-90 S rolls out

R.K. Radhakrishnan

73 Armoured Regiment first in Army to be given 10 tanks of this variety

CHENNAI: At 11-10 a.m. on Monday, as Mohammed Iqbal’s patriotic ‘Saare jahan se achcha’ filled the air at the Avadi Heavy Vehicle Factory’s General Assembly Workshop – where the final integration of tanks is done – the first indigenously built T-90 S roared to life.

As Minister of State for Defence M.M. Pallam Raju waved a chequered flag, tank men from 73 Armoured Regiment revved the T-90s, named Bhishma, and drove out of the workshop.

They were cheered by Director-General, Mechanised Forces, D. Bharadwaj; Master General Ordnance Vinay Sharma; Director-General Quality Assurance (DGQA) J.S. Dhillon; Formation Commander Ashok Mehta (under whose formation the tanks will be stationed) and a host of officials from the Ordnance Factory Board, the Ministry of Defence and the Army.

A section of the 5,000 employees of the HVF cheered and clapped as the tanks made their way through the workshop floor.

The 73 Armoured Regiment is the first in the Army to be given the 10 indigenously manufactured tanks. Mr. Raju termed the induction a “major milestone,” adding, “we have come a long way in the production of armoured vehicles.” “They [73 Armoured Regiment ] were the next in line for replacements. They had the T-55 [tanks],” Lt. Gen. Bharadwaj told The Hindu, when asked how he decided who would get the first batch of the indigenous T-90s. The tanks were expected to be in service till “at least 2045.” HVF is expected to produce 100 tanks by the end of the financial year. Right now, the tanks have 70 per cent indigenous content, which is expected to go up to 85 per cent. “The economies of scale do not permit us to manufacture the remaining 15 per cent,” said S. Chandrasekar, Director-General, Heavy Vehicles Group.

The indigenisation of the tank marks a significant phase in the production of the state-of-the-art tanks in India. HVF took up manufacture of T-90 tanks in collaboration with Russia. Till now, semi-knocked down and fully knocked down tanks imported from Russia were being assembled at the facility on the outskirts of the city. The first assembled tank rolled out of the facility in January 2004..The process of indigenisation was set rolling after HVF gained experience in assembling the tanks and, pursuant to an agreement between the Indian and Russian governments. There were problems along the way. “We had some problems with the turret – the 130-mm armour plate,” said Mr. Chandrasekar.Chairman, OFB, Saroj Vinayek, spoke about the “challenge to manufacturers.”

The Russians declined to part with the technology for the turret and the gun, claiming it was not part of the original agreement. This led to protracted, but barely fruitful negotiations, and delay in the indigenisation schedule. OFB officials said they fabricated the turret under extremely difficult circumstances as technological inputs from Russia were not forthcoming.

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