The Indian Ministry of Defense published a request (Request for information, RFI) for the possible purchase of 350 combat vehicles weighing up to 25 tons each.
The decision of the Indian military is based on last year's clashes in the Galvan Valley, after which India started looking for light tanks for its armed forces. The Russian light tank Sprut-SD 2S25 is considered as one of the options, armyrecognition reports.
The light tank should have an unmanned combat module equipped with several types of weapons of various calibers. The new tank should use modern multipurpose "smart ammunition” and missiles, have an auxiliary power unit and a heating function. A prerequisite for a new tank is the availability of means of protection against unmanned aerial vehicles and a modern communication system,” the technical part of the request for information said.
India is primarily interested in modular design tanks that can later be equipped with additional weapons to have an ability to withstand various threats.
The Indian army has about 3,700 tanks, most of which are Soviet and Russian T-72 and T-90 tanks. However, India needs new tanks to confront China, which has the Type 15 tank capable of fighting in high mountain terrain.