I didnt find other link, strange i read it in newspaper.
But here is Nov 2011 news report
This was also posted in Business Standard.
Broadsword: T-90 tank: Technology transfer, supply of assemblies hit Russian stonewall
This is a repost of pre-2008 news.
I once posted a 2004 news and a 2010 news with the same content on this very forum a long time ago which contained information about the Catherine issue. It was the exact same thing just copy-pasted.
In the early years, when we bought the T-90, we bought small numbers and we did not sign any ToT agreement. In 2006 we asked for more tanks and that's when discussions for ToT and full scale license production really started. Basically, the first contract for some ~300 tanks were a trial run before ordering more tanks. So, we ordered the tanks in 2001, got them all in 2004-05 and put them through the most grueling tests possible in war like conditions until 2006 when the decision to go for the T-90 was properly implemented.
In Aug 2008 we clinched a deal with the Russians for full ToT. Before that we had only a license assembly from kits. The issue with gun barrels was for the early batch of tanks. That's because we used to wear the barrels out early during full scale testing of the tanks where tanks used to finish 1/3rd of their engine life in just one year. We used to fire all our ammunition and deplete it as well, the result was the depletion of our ammo reserves. During this time, we had no real agreement with Russia for supply of barrels, so OFB made makeshift barrels until the real stuff came from Russia.
After December 2008, ToT started coming in and OFB started making real barrels for the army. That's when the army also started accepting the first batch of Indian made T-90s in 2009. This tank came with Indian barrel (made with Russian ToT) and with Kanchan armour.
With the completion of ToT, the T-90s started full scale production at 100 tanks/year and 85% of the tank is currently made in HVF. The rest come from Indian and foreign suppliers, like Catherine from Russia (reexported from France), navigation systems from BEL with Israeli license, ECU from an Indian company under contract by DRDO and so on. The next objective is to push production from 100 to 150 a year.
I am not sure if the new contract for 300 odd T-90MS is license production, assembly or fully produced.
As for the numbers, we know of three contracts very well. One was in 2001 for 300+, the second in 2006 for 300+ and the third in 2008 for 300+. Overall, the idea is to buy and make the T-90s in batches. So, the total tanks is somewhere around 1000 contracted for and delivered. OFB was complaining about Indian Army delaying the construction of a fourth batch of 300+ last year, IIRC. So, over 1300 are contracted for. After this batch, there may be the last batch of 300+ remaining followed by the new order of 300+ T-90MS for the North-East.
I don't know if the last batch of 600-700 tanks will come with T-90MS type improvements, all or none.
So, this is where IA's T-90 stands at. Don't believe every article that you read. They don't give a clear picture. Even Shukla has admitted that he was wrong about half the stuff he used to write about like lack of ToT and capability of the tank (like Catherine) after he toured HVF, Avadi. Do you know that there has not been a single negative news about T-90 from Shukla since he toured the HVF factory.
