Exclusive: Meet T-90 Bhishma, deadliest Indian Tank fighting China
As India battles Chinese Aggression in Ladakh, the Indian Army remains on high alert while gradually increasing the number of T-90 tanks on the Chinese border. In the past three months,
India has deployed several regiments of T-90 tanks to deter any aggression by Chinese PLA as
China has moved
around 35,000 soldiers to threaten Ladakh. Team Guarding India brings you the story of the most feared tank of the Indian Army.
Indian T-90 tanks are called
T-90 Bhishma as they have the same formidable war potential as
Bhishma Pitamaha – the greatest warrior of Mahabharata.
Indian Army selected Russian T-90 tanks in 2001 as by 1995 Pakistan Army had already acquired 320
Ukrainian T-84 tanks which were
superior to Indian T-72M1 tanks of the 1990s.
T-90 tank was an incremental upgrade of T-72 M1 design that was already being manufactured in India at
Heavy Vehicles Factory (HFV) Avadi which enabled the same production line to be adopted for manufacturing T-90 tanks which reduced cost of establishing new production line and also cut down the delivery time.
T-90 Bhishma’s main battle tanks (MBT) have enhanced the Indian Army’s ‘shock and awe’ capabilities and combat superiority along the Pakistan border.
T-90 tank is a
third-generation Russian main battle tank (MBT) that was developed in
the 1990s. The Indian T-90 Bhishma tanks are armed to teeth as their main armament is the
2A46M 125mm smoothbore tank gun which can fire all types of anti-tank rounds including lethal
armour-piercing fin-stabilized discarding sabot (APFSDS) and
barrel launched Refleks anti-tank guided missiles.
The
Refleks missile is a laser-guided missile with an effective
range of 6 km which can penetrate about
950 millimetres (37 inches) of steel armour. In addition, T-90 Bhishma tanks also carry
NSV 12.7mm remotely controlled anti-aircraft heavy machine gun (HMG) with a
2 km range which can be operated from
within the tank.
All T-90 tanks have
two-tier protection system with an
option of an additional third tier. The
first tier is made of
composite armour in the turret which is basic armour shell with alternating layers of aluminium and ceramics. The
second tier consists of
explosive reactive armour (ERA) panels which reduce the effectiveness of APFSDS ammunition besides giving T-90 tank a
distinctive angled “clamshell” appearance. The
third optional tier is active self-protection system which
destroys enemy anti-tank rounds before they hit the tank.
Indian Army has selected
LEDS-150 Land Electronic Defence System for defending its
T-90 Bhishma tanks which is far superior to the Russian Shtora active defence system used by other nations.
The
T-90 tanks are also fitted with
nuclear, biological, and chemical (NBC) protection and
can fight even after nuclear blasts.
All T-90 tanks have a Nakidka signature reduction suite that reduces
infrared, thermal, and radar signature of T-90 Tanks making them even harder to detect.
T-90 tanks have high mobility due to
upgraded engines producing more than
1000 hp which ensures smooth operations in all terrains and it can easily reach
speeds of 60 km/hour despite weighing massive 48 tons.
The T-90 Bhishma is considered amongst the best tanks in worlds as it has the right blend of adequate protection, high mobility, and massive firepower. At present
Indian Army is estimated to have
more than 1600 T-90 Bhishma tanks and these numbers
will cross 2000 by the year 2022. These T-90 Tanks were ordered in different batches and consist of
two versions namely
T-90S and T-90MS variants.
Indian T-90S tanks are superior to Russian T-90s as they use
Russian, French, and Israeli systems. In addition to
standard 125 mm smoothbore gun mentioned earlier,
Indian T-90 Bhishma tanks are equipped with the cutting-edge French
Thales thermal Imaging sights that can see
through the darkness till 5-8 km.
Indian T-90s have much
advanced Israeli radios for better communication. Indian T-90 Bhishma tanks have
Russian Kontakt-5 explosive reactive armour (ERA) plates that can
blast any incoming projectile before
it contacts the main armour of T-90 Bhishma.
The second version of Indian T-90 Bhishma is T-90M which features the
‘Kaktus K-6’ explosive reactive armour (ERA) plates that offer even
greater protection than Kontakt-5 ERA panels used by T-90S.
Newer T-90M tanks also have
enhanced Israeli environmental control systems and newer generation thermal imaging sights. Due to the use of these advanced systems,
T-90MS tanks are ideal for the cold and harsh conditions of Ladakh where normal tanks are ineffective.
T-90S tanks have a fearsome reputation for being indestructible despite being
battle-tested in almost every warzone. In 1999 Russian Army used T-90 tanks in Chechnya where one
T-90S tank was hit by seven RPG anti-tank rockets but continued fighting. Russia has sold
T-90A tanks to Syria that are lesser capable than Indian T-90 Bhishma. In February 2016, Syrian
T-90A tanks survived a direct hit by a US TOW-2A missile that is used by Pakistan. In fact, it is estimated at present
none of the anti-tank missiles held by Pakistan and China can destroy a T-90 Bhishma tank by the frontal hit.
It is the massive firepower and near the indestructible capability of
T-90 Bhishma tanks that compelled the Indian Army to use them on
China border where they are likely to face
Chinese Type 99 main battle tanks and
Type 15 light tanks.
Team Guarding India is confident that
Indian T-90 Bhishma tanks are most likely to emerge victorious in any conflict with Chinese tanks on
icy battlefields of Ladakh. However,
India still needs a light tank that will be covered in a separate story by
Team Guarding India.
Guarding India explained why T-90 Bhishma Main Battle Tank (MBT) is one of the deadliest tanks in the world. Check out our article to know.
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