Armoured regiments
There are 97 armoured regiments in the Indian Army
Indian army staff and equipment
Strength
| Indian Army statistics | |
| Active Troops | 1,100,000 |
| Reserve Troops | 960,000 |
| Indian Territorial Army | 787,000** |
| Main battle tanks | 5,000 |
| Artillery | 3,200 |
| Ballistic missiles | ~100 (Agni-I, Agni-II, Agni-III) |
| Ballistic missiles | ~1,000 Prithvi missile series |
| Cruise missiles | ~1,000 BrahMos |
| Aircraft | ~1,500 |
| Surface-to-air missiles | 100,000 |
** includes 387,000 1st line troops and 400,000 2nd line troops
Statistics
Soldiers from the 4th Rajput Infantry Battalion of the Indian Army handling INSAS rifles during a training mission.
- 4 RAPID (Reorganised Army Plains Infantry Divisions)
- 18 Infantry Divisions
- 10 Mountain Divisions
- 3 Armoured Divisions
- 2 Artillery Divisions
- 3 Air Defence Brigades + 2 Surface-to-Air Missile Groups
- 5 Independent Armoured Brigades
- 15 Independent Artillery Brigades
- 7 Independent Infantry Brigades
- 2 Parachute Brigade
- 4 Engineer Brigades
- 41 Army Aviation Helicopter Units
Sub-units
- 93 Tank Regiments
- 50 Airborne Battalions
- 50 Artillery Regiments
- 41 Infantry Battalions + 32 Para (SF) Battalions
- 32 Mechanised Infantry Battalions
- 23 Combat Helicopter Units
- 50 Air Defence Regiments
Most of the army equipment is imported, but efforts are being made to manufacture indigenous equipment. The Defence Research and Development Organisation has developed a range of weapons for the Indian Army ranging from small arms, artillery, radars and the Arjun tank. All Indian Military small-arms are manufactured under the umbrella administration of the Ordnance Factory Board, with principal Firearm manufacturing facilities in Ichhapore, Cossipore, Kanpur, Jabalpur and Tiruchirapalli. The Indian National Small Arms System (INSAS) rifle, which is successfully inducted by Indian Army since 1997 is a product of the Ishapore Rifle Factory, while ammunition is manufactured at Khadki and possibly at Bolangir.
Aircraft
The Indian Army operates more than 200 helicopters, plus additional unmanned aerial vehicles. The Army Aviation Corps is the main body of the Indian Army for tactical air transport, reconnaissance, and medical evacuation. The Army Aviation operates closely with the Indian Air Force.| Aircraft | Origin | Type | Versions | In service[50][51] | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| HAL Dhruv | India | utility helicopter | HAL Dhruv | 40+ | |
| Aérospatiale SA 316 Alouette III | France | utility helicopter | SA 316B Chetak | 100+ | to be replaced by new LUH, competition to start soon. |
| Aérospatiale SA 315 Lama | France | utility helicopter | SA 315B Cheetah | 50+ | to be replaced by new LUH, competition to start soon. |
DRDO Nishant | India | reconnaissance UAV | 12 on order | ||
| IAI Searcher II | Israel | reconnaissance UAV | 21 | ||
| IAI Heron II | Israel | reconnaissance UAV | 31 |
The Indian army had projected a requirement for a helicopter that can carry loads of up to 75 kg heights of 23,000 feet (7,000 m) on the Siachen Glacier in Jammu and Kashmir. Flying at these heights poses unique challenges due to the rarefied atmosphere. The Indian Army chose the Eurocopter AS 550 for a $550 million contract for 197 light helicopters to replace its ageing fleet of Chetaks and Cheetahs, some of which were inducted more than three decades ago.The deal has however been scrapped amidst allegations of corruption during the bidding process.
Future developments
- Futuristic Infantry Soldier As a System (F-INSAS) is the Indian Army's principal modernization program from 2012 to 2020. In the first phase, to be completed by 2012, the infantry soldiers will be equipped with modular weapon systems that will have multi-functions. The Indian Army intends to modernize all of its 465 infantry and paramilitary battalions by 2020 with this program.
- India is currently reorganising its mechanised forces to achieve strategic mobility and high-volume firepower for rapid thrusts into enemy territory. India proposes to progressively induct as many as 248 Arjun MBT and develop and induct the Arjun MKII variant, 1,657 Russian-origin T-90S main-battle tanks (MBTs), apart from the ongoing upgrade of its T-72 fleet. The Army recently placed an order for 4,100 French-origin Milan-2T anti-tank guided missiles (ATGMs). Defence ministry sources said the Rs 592-crore (approximately US$120 million) order was cleared after the 2008 Mumbai attacks, with the government finally fast-tracking several military procurement plans.
- The Army gained the Cabinet Committee on Security's approval to raise two new infantry mountain divisions (with around 15,000 combat soldiers each),and an artillery brigade in 2008. These divisions were likely to be armed with ultralight howitzers. In July 2009, it was reported that the Army was advocating a new artillery division, said defence ministry sources. The proposed artillery division, under the Kolkata-based Eastern Command, was to have three brigades—two of 155mm howitzers and one of the Russian "Smerch" and indigenous "Pinaka" multiple-launch rocket systems.
- The Indian Army plans to develop and induct a 155mm indigenous artillery gun within the next three and a half years.
- HAL has obtained a firm order to deliver 114 HAL Light Combat Helicopters to the Indian Army.
No comments:
Post a Comment