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Russia offers upgrade of T-72 and T-90S tanks to India — manufacturer

India has been offered many upgrade options

NIZHNY TAGIL, September 11. /TASS/. Russia has submitted its proposals to India for an upgrade of the Indian Army’s T-72 and T-90S tanks, Uralvagonzavod Director General Oleg Siyenko told TASS on Friday.

"India said it was going to upgrade many of its tanks - both T-72s and T-90S’s. We have submitted our proposals on the upgrade packages for both," he said.

"Now, the ball is on India’s side, the [decision-making] process is under way, and [our positions] are converging," he added.

Siyenko reminded journalists that India had the assembly facility that Russia had helped it to establish. "T-90S tanks are assembled there from our knockdown kits", the Uralvagonzavod head added. He underlined that the manufacturer was willing to both upgrade the in-service tanks and deliver brand-new complete armored vehicles.

"Indians and we conducted rather successful tests that we are pleased with," Siyenko said. "India has been offered many upgrade options within the framework of the joint venture."

According to Uralvagonzavod, two T-72 upgrade variants had been offered to the Indian Ministry of Defense. Should they be implemented, the most numerous tank of today, the T-72, will become on a par with the world’s best tanks. The upgrade proposals are especially relevant in the light of the latest military conflicts fought mostly in urban terrain.

"We have offered two T-72 upgrade projects to India. One provides for equipping the tank with a set of protections for the tank’s and its crew’s survivability in urban terrain, where antitank weapons, including radio-controlled explosive devices, are widely used," the manufacturer’s director general said.

The other project is about fitting out the T-72 with the Arena-E active protection system. The Arena-E offers all-round protection from incoming antitank weapons - antitank rockets, high-explosive projectiles and antitank missiles, including the top-attack shells.

Valery Kashin, dual-hatted as director general and general designer of the KBM design bureau, told TASS that the manufacturer had improved the Arena much. Now, the system is promoted on the market as part of the upgrade package for the T-72. The Arena’s components, electronics and computers were changed, and the system was modified to meet Uralvagonzavod’s requirements. It became far more compact and miniaturized.