Military-technical cooperation betwen Russia and India dates back to the 1960s. Since then, as a result of mutually beneficial partnerships, the Indian Army has been more than 70 percent equipped with Soviet and Russian weapons, while the total domestic arms exports have exceeded $60 billion over the years of cooperation.

For more than half a century (since April 1963), Soviet and then Russian military technology has been transferred to India. Five major aircraft and aircraft engine factories, 12 armored vehicle, arms and ammunition factories have been built in India with technical assistance from our country. No state in the world is ready to transfer modern technology, including the most sensitive defense manufacturing technology, to India to the extent that Russia does.

The Heavy Vehicle Factory (HVF) located at Avadi, Chennai manufacturing T-90S tanks is one of the best examples of cooperation. The project was launched in 2001 when Rosoboronexport and the Indian Ministry of Defense’s Ordnance Factories Board signed a package of contracts. Soon, Russia delivered a large shipment of finished tanks and tank assembly sets to the friendly country. But before such large-scale procurement became possible, the Indian military had subjected the Russian tank to a series of the most severe survival tests in the harshest climatic conditions of the Thar Desert (Rajasthan State) and in the training situations as close to fighting as possible. After the tank had successfully passed the exams, Jaswant Singh, the then Minister of Defense and Foreign Affairs Minister of India, said that the T-90S was “second only deterrent for potential military threats after nuclear weapons.”

The first T-90S tanks made under Russian license using Russian-supplied and Indian-manufactured components rolled off the Avadi Heavy Vehicles Factory as soon as August 2009. The current rate of T-90S production suggests that contract figures will be met.

Having considerable growth potential, the Russian T-90S tanks can embody the latest achievements and remain India’s powerful, reliable and capable main battle tank for many years to come.

Rosoboronexport, Russia’s major arms exporter of the entire range of final military and dual-use goods and services, offers its Indian partners to upgrade the T-90S in several areas.

The T-90S tank upgrade proposals are aimed first of all at enhancing the fire control system, improving search-and-observation capabilities and service characteristics.

In particular, it is proposed to replace the commander’s PNK-4S-01 observation/sighting system with a new commander’s TO1-KO4DT combined observation/sighting system, which increases the detection (recognition) range against a tank target at up to 3000 meters even at night (compared with the previous capability of 1200 m in passive mode). This is achieved through replacing the infrared channel with a thermal imaging one, which makes it possible to fire the gun, coaxial machine gun and AA machine gun reliably and more effectively from short halts and on the move, day or night.

The tank commander receives the capability to independently measure the distance to a target in the range of 200-4000 meters with accuracy up to 5 meters through the integration of a laser rangefinder into the new commander’s combined observation/sighting system. In real combat, the accuracy of engaging the target and the outcome of combat on the whole may depend precisely on that.

Since the new TO1-KO4DT commander’s sight and the existing PNK-4S-01 share the similar dimensions and connection diagram, the new system can be installed quickly and easily without significant efforts.

Complete automation of the shot preparation process, reduced calculation efforts and improved adjustment of the fire control system’s parameters are provided by the 1V528-2 digital ballistic computer. It is needed to fully automate the shot preparation process, including automatic allowance for of air and propellant charge temperatures, atmospheric pressure, bore wear figure and individual jump angles of projectiles, which significantly increases aiming consistency and accuracy.

The digital ballistic computer supports seven types of ammunition, including Indian-made ammunition, and there is a possibility to support five more types of projectiles, while maintaining a manual data entry capability.

In addition, there is a possibility for the crew to adjust firing data and enter barreljump corrections for projectiles using the PNK-1 digital off-vehicle control panel.

An automatic target tracker (ATT) is intended to provide reliable and fast target acquisition as well as automatic target tracking based on the image data obtained from the thermal imaging channel of the ESSA thermal viewer. The ATT is effective even in cases where a low-skilled gunner fires.

In turn, to protect the tank against precision guided weapons with laser designators and artillery systems equipped with laser rangefinders, Rosoboronexport proposes to install an automatic smoke screening system on the T-90S. The system automatically fires a smoke aerosol grenade in the direction of the attacking enemy when its illuminating ATGM laser designators or rangefinders are detected. The resulting aerosol cloud curtains the tank against visual observation and reflects laser radiation, thus disrupting the approaching missiles’ seekers.

The use of a gear shifting robot (GSR) improves the dynamic and service characteristics of the tank (acceleration capabilities, increased average speed). This significantly reduces the driver’s burden and also provides confident driving of the tank even by a lowskilled driver, including in a column.

There is an instrument package installed at the driver station to inform the driver of the status of the engine compartment and other tank systems, as well as of a possible emergency. Its installation improves station ergonomics and reduces fatigue. The package comprises the information and signal units arranged symmetrically relative to the driver’s vision device and allow the driver to observe instrument readings, both in combat and travelling modes.

The information unit indicates the number of the engaged gear (if the GSR system if installed), distance traveled, driving speed, engine shaft speed, the amount of fuel in the tanks, tank system voltage, current consumption, and the protrusion of the gun beyond the tank chassis outlines. The signal unit displays the coolant temperature, oil temperature and pressure in the engine and transmission lubrication system. Also, the unit indicates a possible fire in the front and rear compartments, tank turn, tow starting mode and other important information. Both units have a self-testing mode.

The DGU-8 diesel-electric auxiliary power unit will supply DC electricity to the T-90S tank’s electric equipment when the main engine is turned off, thereby saving its life. It provides full-fledged operation of the T-90S fighting and driver’s compartments. This enables all of the crewmembers to observe the battlefield, day and night, in any weather and to fire on the detected targets without starting the main engine.

A thermoelectric air conditioner provides a comfortable environment for crewmembers through local supply of cooled air. Its design envisages that a cooling unit is installed at each crew station: using it the crewmember can adjust the air flow and switch the air conditioner to air conditioner-fan mode.

Finally, there is one last point. Rubber track shoes are designed to reduce the pressure on the ground exerted by the tank tracks and prevent damage to asphalt roads. They are made of high-strength steel reinforced polyurethane and can be installed (removed) on the tank by the crew in field. Their service life is about 1000 km when driving on asphalt roads. At the same time, the tank remains steerable even in high speed turns, both on asphalt and sandy and clay roads.

Today, the Russian-made T-90S tank attracts attention of the military and specialists from many countries. The vehicle is operational with the Russian Army and, as is known, no one buys something of poor quality for oneself. The T-90S has been developed keeping in mind huge combat experience gained by Russian armored vehicles and will be the main battle tank of many armies in the world for many years to come.