Thursday, June 18, 2015

Is India moving toward an Armata MBT purchase?


via The Diplomat
Last week, the Indian Army released a global request for information (RFI) inviting responses by 31 July to develop a multi-purpose Future Ready Combat Vehicle (FRCV) in order to replace older license-built Soviet-era main-battle tanks (MBTs).
“The Indian Army is planning to design and develop a new generation, state-of-the-art combat vehicle platform for populating its armored fighting vehicle fleet in the coming decade. This vehicle, which will be called the future ready combat vehicle (FRCV), will form the base platform for the main battle tank which is planned to replace the existing T-72 tanks in the Armored Corps,” the RFI reads.
The Indian military envisions the FRCV system as a platform for as many as 11 different tracked vehicles, including light tracked, wheeled, bridge layer and trawl tanks, self-propelled howitzers (SPH), air defense guns, artillery observation post and engineering reconnaissance vehicles, and armored ambulances.
Here.

That RFI sure sounds alot like the Armata family of vehicles.  Additionally if the Russians offer the same type of package to India that they have with the PAK-FA, and the Brahmos anti-ship missile then we can expect this to happen rather quickly.

But why is India doing this?  My guess is that they've taken a look around the region/world and come to the conclusion that the current generation of tanks in service just don't stand up to the threat.  Specifically the Chinese tanks that are coming online.

The beat goes on.  The entire world is getting its armor house in order. We should do the same.

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