According to information published by the Russian press agency "Sputnik" on December 29, 2021, Russia and India could jointly develop a new main battle tank based on the T-14 Armata platform.
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The latest variant of the Russian-made T-14 Armata Main Battle Tank was displayed at the Army-2021 defense exhibition in Russia. (Picture source Army Recognition)
"Taking into account Indian military plans on starting the development of a new combat tank, in the framework of a recently held Russian-Indian intergovernmental commission on military-technical cooperation and Russian-Indian summit, Indian counterparts were offered new directions of cooperation, including the development of armored fighting vehicles based of the Armata platform and on customers' technical inquiries", he spokeswoman for Russia's Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation, Valeria Reshetnikova said in an interview.
The Russian defense industry has announced that the first serial series of T-14 Armata Main Battle Tank could be delivered to the Russian army in 2022.
In June 2021, Army Recognition has reported that the Indian MoD (Ministry of Defense) has issued a Request for Information (RFI) to procure 1,700 Future Ready Combat Vehicles (FRCVs) that would replace the old Russian designed T-72M/M1 Ajeya MBTs (Main Battle Tanks).
According to the technical requirements published by the Indian MoD (Ministry of Defense), the Future Ready Combat Vehicle (FRCV) must have the capabilities to operate in a wide range of terrains in road and off-road conditions such as high altitude areas, plains as well as deserts.
The main armament of the FRCV will be able to destroy different types of land targets including MBTs (Main Battle Tanks), armored vehicles, unmanned aerial vehicles, and helicopters. The new vehicle must be fitted with a remotely operated weapon station and anti-aircraft combat equipment to counter UAVs (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles).
Standard onboard equipment of the FRCV must include new modern technologies as artificial intelligence, stealth features and can operate in a network-centric and electronic warfare environment.
According to Indian military sources, the FRCV could replace the T-72M1 Ajeya MBTs, but T-90S and Arjun MBTs will remain in service.
