India has received ten newly produced T-90 Mk-III main battle tanks, manufactured under a licensing agreement by India's state-owned Armoured Vehicles Nigam Limited (AVNL).

These tanks feature enhanced targeting and sighting systems, including a thermal imager and laser rangefinder.

-India has operated the Russian-designed T-90 since 2001, assembling over 500 tanks domestically from kits imported from Russia.

The recent delivery is part of a larger contract for 464 T-90MS tanks. Despite Russia's delays in exporting tanks due to the war in Ukraine, India continues to bolster its armored capabilities with the T-90 Mk-III.

New T-90 Mk-III Tanks: A Boost for India’s Armored Corps

According to Janes, the Indian military has taken delivery of ten T-90 Mk-III main battle tanks. India has operated the Russian-designed T-90 for years, with more than 1,000 believed to be in service. But this batch of tanks is noteworthy, as the vehicles were produced by India's state-owned Armoured Vehicles Nigam Limited (AVNL).

"The tanks are newly produced by AVNL's Heavy Vehicles Factory (HVF) under [a] licensing agreement with Russia," an Indian military official told Janes.

India officially adopted the T-90 in 2001. The first 124 were completed in Russia, with the rest being delivered in "knocked down" form for final assembly in India, the AVNL website explained.

India Building Russian Tanks 

Since the early 2000s, India's state-owned Ordnance Factory Board has assembled upward of 500 T-90S tanks, imported from Russia in kit form, at its Heavy Vehicles Factory (HVF). The facility was further tasked in 2006 and 2007 to produce an additional 1,000 T-90S Bhishma MBTs, and 400 were delivered by late 2019. It is unclear whether the pandemic impacted further delivery, but New Delhi awarded HVF a contract in November 2019 for an additional 464 T-90MS tanks to be produced under license.

This is also notable as Russia has been forced to delay the export of the T-90 due to the losses it has taken in Ukraine.

"The degree to which the export-build programme has been repurposed remains unclear. T-90 tanks intended for the export market appear to have been diverted to the operation in Ukraine, with visual evidence that T-90S MBTs intended for India have been used by Russian forces in Ukraine," the International Institute for Strategic Studies reported earlier this month.

Indian T-90 Mk-III: What We Know

According to Janes, the new T-90 Mk-III variant features a number of enhancements, including a newly designed automatic target tracking system, a digital ballistic computer, and sighting systems. The firm further noted that the Russian-designed MBTs are equipped with the midwave infrared-based commander sight jointly developed by India's Defence Research and Development Organisation and Bharat Electronics Limited.

The sight utilizes a thermal imager that can detect targets at a distance of nearly five miles in both day and night conditions, while its laser rangefinder can lock on to targets at a distance of up to three miles.

"With the corrections from ballistic software and LRF, the commander of T-90 can detect, engage, and neutralize the targets with accuracy," the Indian Ministry of Defense explained to Janes.

While the first batch of T-90 Mk-IIIs could be deployed to units in the Indian Army this year, the remaining 454 MBTs will be delivered over the next five years. In addition, T-90S models now in service will be upgraded to the T-90MS standard.

As previously reported, India also has about 2,000 Soviet T-72 tanks, while New Delhi has struggled to produce a domestically designed model.

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