India’s T-90S MBT Was the Star of the Republic Day Parade
India first adopted the T-90 in 2001, and there are now more than 1,000 in service.
On Sunday, India hosted its annual Republic Day parade—the country’s largest annual parade, in celebration of its independence from the United Kingdom. During the parade, India’s military competency was on full display, with upwards of two dozen regiments, including bands, taking part. As in past years, the parade ended with a “daredevil” motorcycle display and a flyover of Indian Air Force aircraft that included fighter jets, transports, and helicopters.
However, the star attraction of the parade may have been the presence of the T-90S Bhishma main battle tank (MBT), the armored vehicle that has become the centerpiece of India’s growing military might. The appearance of half a dozen of the tanks also served to highlight the close ties that are maintained between New Delhi and Moscow, in spite of the Kremlin’s global isolation.
The T-90S, built under a licensing agreement with Russia, marks one of the latest enhancements in India’s longstanding use of the T-90.
“Leading the Mechanised Columns on this glorious occasion is the pride of the Indian Army, the T-90 Bhishma the Main Battle Tank,” All India Radio News said in a post on X, while sharing images of the MBTs in the parade. “The Bhishma is a symbol of India’s cutting-edge military prowess, designed on the Hunter-Killer concept.”
The post noted that the tank in question was commanded by Captain Navjot Singh Atwal, a commander within the 74th Armoured Regiment. That regiment operates under the motto Vijay Ya Veergati—”Victory or Martyrdom”—which symbolizes the unwavering commitment of the Indian Army to defend the nation’s honor.
The T-90S is reported to be among the most advanced T-90 variants in service. Named for the legendary warrior from the Mahabharata Sanskrit epic poem that tells of an ancient war on the subcontinent, the Bhishma was tailored for the Indian military. It is armed with a 125mm smoothbore main gun, while secondary armaments include a 7.62mm coaxial machine gun and a 12.7 mm anti-aircraft gun. The tank further features an indigenously developed active protection system (APS).
India and Its Tank Force
India first adopted the T-90 in 2001, and there are now more than 1,000 in service. 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.
India has also begun the early production of the even more advanced T-90 Mk-III variant that is outfitted with significant enhancements, including a newly designed automatic target tracking system, a digital ballistic computer, and sighting systems. The sight employs 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.
The Mk-III variants are set to enter service this year.
While New Delhi has shown it is able to produce the T-90 under license, and has even improved upon the design, the country has struggled to domestically develop an MBT. That fact helps explain why the Indian armed forces currently maintain a fleet of approximately 2,000 Soviet T-72 tanks, many of which have been upgraded in recent years.
Yet where India arguably made the most progress has been with with the Zorawar light tank—named for the 19th century Dogra General Zorawar Singh. Current plans call for New Delhi to produce around 350 of the light tanks, which can operate in high altitudes.
The Zorawar was jointly developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and private vendor Larsen & Toubro (L&T), after the Indian Army issued a Request for Information (RFI) in 2021 calling for a new tank that weighed less than 25 tonnes, yet had a margin of 10 percent and the same firepower as a regular MBT. Development began during the multi-year-long standoff with China in the Himalayas that began in May 2020. It is now beginning to enter service.
About the Author: Peter Suciu
Peter Suciu is a Michigan-based writer. He has contributed to more than four dozen magazines, newspapers, and websites with over 3,200 published pieces over a twenty-year career in journalism. He regularly writes about military hardware, firearms history, cybersecurity, politics, and international affairs. Peter is also a Contributing Writer for Forbes and Clearance Jobs. You can follow him on Twitter: @PeterSuciu. You can email the author: [email protected].
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