The question was asked, "what kind of tanks does the Indian Army use?" The answer is they have three major battle tanks: (1) Cold War-era ex-Soviet T-55's that have been upgunned with British-American 105mm guns and a modern fire control system; (2) the T-72S, an export model of the Soviet/Ukranian T-72B tank with a 125mm smooth-bore gun that fires conventional ammunition or laser-guided missiles from an automatic loader; (3) the T-90S, an export model of the Ukranian T-90, that incorporates features of the T-72 and Russian T-80 main battle tanks. The T-90S retains the same 125mm gun as the T-72S.
Of the three tanks in-service by the Indian Army, the T-55 remain the most reliable and combat capable. The T-72S and T-90S have had and are experiencing many problems. The T-90S fleet of 310 tanks appears to be completely deadlined due to a defective French fire control system that does not work in desert heat (most Indian armored units are located in desert areas and the T-90S does not have the air conditioning of the U.S. M1 Abrams). The T-72S did not have the Russian fire control and night vision systems and the money to upgrade them was diverted into the money pit called the T-90S. There are about 2,000 T-72 tanks in the Indian Army and it is estimated about 70 percent are not ready for battle.
ARMAMENT (T-72S and T-90S).
The T-72S has a 125mm D-81 smoothbore gun and the T-90S uses the similar 2A46M gun; both use an automatic loading mechanism capable of carrying 22 ready-to-fire rounds in a carousel arrangement (a total of 45 rounds is carried within the tank). The gun tubes are fitted with a thermal sleeve and bore evacuator (to remove propellant gases from the gun tube). The gun automatic loader contains both conventional ammunition and missile ammuntion and can load and fire either kind.
Ammunition is separate loading; that is, the projectile or missile and the cartridge case. This 125mm smothbore gun is unique in its ability to fire conventional ammunition or a laser-guided anti-tank missile (with anti-helicopter capability). Conventional 125mm ammunition includes: (1) APDS (armor-piercing discarding sabot); (2) HEAT (high-explosive anti-tank); (3) HE-FRAG (high-explosive fragmentation); and (4) Cannister APERS (multi-projectile anti-personnel) rounds.
The 125mm gun can also fire the 9M119 or 9M119M Refleks (NATO code AT-11 Sniper) anti-tank laser-guided missile. The missile is designed to engage other tanks fitted with explosive, reactive armor (ERA). The missile uses semi-active laser guidance and employs a HEAT warhead. Minimum engagement range is 100 meters and maximum engagement range is 4,000 meters; time-of-flight is 11.7 seconds (max range). Missile weight is 23.4 kilograms.
Above: A Ukranian T-72S main battle tank. The boxes attached to the turret, front, and sides are the explosive, reactive armor. The screening smoke dischargers are attached to the back side of the turret. The 12.7mm anti-aircraft machine gun is not mounted on its cradle. The objects ahead of the tracks are part of the mine plow that is attached to the front of the tank (retracted position).
Below: A Russian T-90S main battle tank. The smoke discharges are relocated and the Shtora-1 countermeasures system that includes an infrared jammer, a laser warning system with four receivers, a grenade discharging system that produces a smoke screen.
Above: A close-up view of a T-90S showing the Shtora-1 countermeasures system and NSVT 12.7x108mm anti-aircraft machine gun on the commander's cupola. The NSVT is also used on the T-72S and replaces the obsolescent DShK 1938/46 machine gun. Both T-72S and T-90S employ the PKMT 7.62x54mmR machine gun co-axial with the 125mm main gun.
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