In a big relief coming in for the Mechanised Forces, the Indian Army has finally managed to conclude a long-awaited Rs 3,000-crore deal for additional INVAR anti-tank guided missiles license built by Bharat Dynamics Ltd with Russian technology. According to the MoD, "The deliveries are expected to be completed over next five years. Invar is a laser beam rider anti-tank guided missile capable of being fired from T-90 tank. It has a range of five km. The missile can neutralise adversaries tanks fitted with explosive reactive armour protection."

The missile has a semi-automatic control system, tele-orienting in a laser beam. The INVAR is is a high velocity, jamming-immune missile with tandem warhead designed to defeat explosive reactive armour and intended to destroy stationary and moving targets with speed up to 70 km/hr. The deal was cleared by the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) in October last year, and remains the most significant recent step to shore up ammunition reserves, severely depleted in the tank formations as highlighted by the former Chief of Army Staff, General V.K. Singh.