Ukraine War Exposes Critical Vulnerabilities of India's T-90 Tanks Against Modern Weapons, Army Issues RFI for Upgraded APS

The Indian Army is taking steps to modernize its tank fleet in response to vulnerabilities exposed during the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. The army has issued a Request for Information (RFI) for Active Protection Systems (APS) to enhance the survivability of its T-90S Bhishma tanks against advanced anti-tank weapons.

The RFI highlights the need for a comprehensive APS that incorporates both soft-kill and hard-kill countermeasures.

Soft-kill measures would involve deploying systems like multispectral smoke grenades and electro-optical/infrared (EO/IR) jammers to disrupt the guidance systems of incoming missiles.

Hard-kill measures would focus on physically neutralizing threats using kinetic countermeasures, offering protection against rocket-propelled grenades (RPGs), anti-tank guided missiles (ATGMs), and high-explosive anti-tank (HEAT) rounds.

The APS should also be capable of eventually countering kinetic energy (KE) projectiles, such as armor-piercing fin-stabilized discarding sabot (APFSDS) rounds.

This modernization effort is driven by the demonstrated effectiveness of modern anti-tank weapons in the Ukraine conflict. Lightweight, shoulder-fired missiles like the Javelin and NLAW, along with loitering munitions, have proven highly effective against even heavily armored tanks. The Indian Army acknowledges that the threat to tanks is now omnidirectional, requiring advanced defensive measures.

The RFI emphasizes that the chosen APS must be compatible with India's diverse operational environments, including high-altitude regions, and should not impede the tank's mobility. This requirement underscores the need for a system that can function effectively in the challenging terrain where Indian tanks are often deployed.

While the Indian Army is looking to international vendors for potential solutions, the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) is also developing an indigenous APS. This two-pronged approach aims to enhance the survivability of India's tank fleet through both domestic innovation and international collaboration.

The Ukraine conflict has served as a stark reminder of the evolving nature of warfare and the need for continuous modernization. By investing in advanced APS, the Indian Army aims to ensure its armored units remain a formidable force on the modern battlefield.

 

[Hari Sud]

Do these work. The flying bombs have made tank a bit useless. Whatever missiles could not do the flying bombs have done.

 

[abhinav srivastava]

Do develop APS for tanks. Also, we need an air defense vehicle based on WhAP platform. Such an air defense vehicle can provide air defense cover to armoured vehicles and troops.

 

[Enforcer]

Do these work. The flying bombs have made tank a bit useless. Whatever missiles could not do the flying bombs have done.

They work in theory, Trophy is suppose to be the best in the world but tons of Israeli tanks still got hit.

T-90 is called the flying tank because it stores ammunition inside the tank with a very thin armored turret. Then that turret is hit, it goes flying up in hypersonic speeds.

Plenty of Videos available of T-72 and T-90 tanks turret pops. I suggest you go check them out.

 

[Hari Sud]

They work in theory, Trophy is suppose to be the best in the world but tons of Israeli tanks still got hit.

T-90 is called the flying tank because it stores ammunition inside the tank with a very thin armored turret. Then that turret is hit, it goes flying up in hypersonic speeds.

Plenty of Videos available of T-72 and T-90 tanks turret pops. I suggest you go check them out.

Ask any westerner and he will find faults in Russian hardware. Unfortunately, nothing of their own worked in Ukraine.

 

[Sandeep]

We need to 100% indigenously quickly design, develop and manufacture our own APS so that we can start to install it on all of our large number of tanks. We will also need it for our future indigenous tanks and IFV as well so this is a critical technology and requirement that we desperately need to keep our tanks safe.