The Indian Army is preparing to introduce its first unmanned T-72 main battle tank as part of a major modernisation drive.
Instead of retiring this ageing Soviet-era armour, the military is transforming it into a remotely controlled combat system.
This move is a major leap towards Manned-Unmanned Teaming (MUM-T), ensuring these older tanks remain relevant on the modern battlefield while significantly boosting the fleet's service lifespan.
Through the Innovations for Defence Excellence (iDEX) ADITI 4.0 initiative, the military is looking for local tech partners to digitise the T-72.
The specific challenge, officially titled "Conversion of Tank T-72 into Autonomous Armoured Fighting Veh (AFV) Platform", seeks to equip the tanks with Internet Protocol (IP)-based controls, sensor fusion, and autonomous mobility.
This concept mirrors modern aerial warfare, where crewed aircraft fly alongside autonomous drones to increase both mission success and troop safety.
During the initial stage of this project, selected domestic defence firms must build and deliver two fully functional autonomous conversion kits.
These prototypes will undergo rigorous trials—including communication-loss safety behaviour and autonomous mobility tests—to prove whether upgrading the vast existing stock of T-72s into robotic wingmen for crewed tanks is a viable long-term strategy.
Military planners aim to have these unmanned T-72s ready for active duty by 2030. Interestingly, this aligns perfectly with the timeline when these tanks, known locally as the 'Ajeya', were slated to begin their gradual retirement.
By converting them into autonomous platforms, the Army can extract an additional 15 to 20 years of service, acting as a crucial and cost-effective bridge until the induction of the highly anticipated Future Ready Combat Vehicle (FRCV).
On the battlefield, these autonomous tanks will take on the most perilous jobs, keeping human soldiers out of harm's way.
Planners expect them to breach enemy minefields, spearhead charges into heavily fortified zones, act as decoys, and conduct reconnaissance in highly contested territories where the risk of vehicle loss is extremely high.
Since its induction around 1978-1979, the T-72 has been a cornerstone of India’s armoured regiments, with over 2,400 units currently forming the bulk of the nation's active tank force.
It has seen deployment across diverse terrains, from the freezing heights of the northern borders to the scorching deserts of Rajasthan, and even overseas during the Indian Peace Keeping Force mission in Sri Lanka.
While past upgrades added thermal sights and better fire control, transforming them into drones is undoubtedly the most radical overhaul in their history.
While global powers are pouring billions into developing completely new robotic combat vehicles from scratch, India is adopting a more pragmatic route.
Similar to France's Refurbot program which repurposed the AMX-30 chassis, India is recycling its proven, existing hulls.
By bolting modern digital architecture onto heavy mechanical engineering, the military hopes to swiftly field robotic combat mass without the massive price tag of a clean-sheet design.
Ultimately, this massive undertaking heavily supports the national drive for self-reliance in the defence sector.
If the project meets its goals, it will not only produce a formidable new class of indigenous robotic fighting vehicles but also establish a robust domestic supply chain for autonomous warfare technology, giving the Indian defence industry a critical edge for the future.
