IAF To Procure 62 Airbus C-295 Planes | Indian Army To Procure 464 Russian T-90 Main Battle Tanks #t90tanks
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The IAF has 56 Avro HS 748 transport aircraft which are in urgent need of replacement. A further six aircraft for a maritime mission role for the Indian Coast Guard have been added taking the total number required to 62, estimated to cost upwards of $3 billion.
The order for 56 C-295W was finalised on 13 May 2015 out of which 16 C-295s will be brought in fly away condition and the remaining 40 will be manufactured in India in partnership with Tata Advanced Systems. In March 2019, as price negotiations were concluded, the order was raised to a total of 62, with 6 aircraft for Indian Coast Guard.
Since the cost negotiations has been concluded with Tata Advanced Systems and Airbus, it is now being waiting for the clearance from Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) and this is expected to be signed in the next few months.
Many defense analysts believe that C295 transport aircraft which is being procured to replace aging HS 748 Air-lifter will also be replacing the Antonov An-32 fleet too but according to the recent update, the An-32s are not due for immediate replacement as they have residual air frame left which will be used for upgrading them.
More than six months after the centre cleared the procurement of 464 Russian-origin T-90 main-battle tanks (MBTs), the ministry of defence has placed an order for the entire fleet worth $2.8 billion with the Heavy Vehicles Factory at Avadi in Chennai. The deal which was signed 5 days before with Heavy Vehicles Factory (HVF) and the tanks would be delivered in a phased manner. Going by the present production capability of the factory, which is about 120 tanks a year, it could take over four to five years for it to deliver all 464.
The T-90 is a third-generation Russian battle tank that entered service in 1993. The tank is a modern variation of the T-72B. Originally called the T-72BU, but later renamed to T-90, it is an advanced tank in service with Russian Ground Forces and the Naval Infantry. The T-90 uses a 125 mm 2A46 smoothbore main gun, the 1A45T fire-control system, an upgraded engine, and gunner's thermal sight. In addition to this, T-90s are equipped with night-vision devices and a thermal imaging system. Known for mobility and first-hit capabilities, Bhishma is protected by an explosive reactive armour.
The 46.5-tonne tank is powered by a 1,000HP engine and has a 125mm smoothbore gun capable of firing all types of ammunition, including laser-guided missiles to a range of up to 5km.
The order for 464 units of Bhishma, the newest MBT that the Army is using, is meant to bolster the shock-and-awe capabilities of the armed forces along the western sector of the India-Pakistan border. Once the delivery is complete, the Army will have over 1,500 of these tanks. Pakistan is in talks with Russia to acquire more than 300 such tanks.
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