NEW DELHI, December 7. /TASS/. Russia’s state arms seller Rosoboronexport intends to offer the Sprut-SDM1 lightweight amphibious tank and local production of its separate units in a tender for the delivery of light tanks to India, Rosoboronexport CEO Alexander Mikheyev said on Tuesday.
"Rosoboronexport with the Sprut-SDM1 lightweight amphibious tank will necessarily take part in India’s tender for the delivery of light tanks and will even offer the technology transfer and, quite probably, the arrangement of local production of separate units and assemblies," the chief executive said.
The Sprut-SDM1 is the sole lightweight amphibious combat vehicle in its class that possesses the firepower of a main battle tank and features a 125mm cannon, he added.
"All the munitions produced in India for employment with the T-72M1 and T-90S tanks can be used for the Sprut-SDM1, which has no rivals," the Rosoboronexport head stressed.
The Sprut-SDM1 can surmount water obstacles while delivering fire from the cannon, be sealifted, and is also capable of operating day and night on terrain insurmountable for other similar vehicles: high in the mountains amid rarified air, in very high and very low temperatures, Mikheyev specified.
"This tank evokes great interest from the countries with complex geographical conditions that combine the presence of water obstacles, swamps and mountains. The combat vehicle is outfitted with the missile armament designed to strike armored targets, including vehicles with reactive armor at ranges of up to 5 km," the Rosoboronexport head said.
The Sprut-SDM1 lightweight amphibious tank has been developed by the High Precision Weapons Company within the state tech corporation Rostec and is based on the Sprut-SD self-propelled anti-tank gun. The new tank features improved team control through special equipment installed for operation within the unified tactical-level command and control system. Its firepower has been enhanced by a new digital fire control system. The Sprut-SDM1 lightweight tank can conduct marches without refueling to 500 km distances, be transported by amphibious assault ships and military transport aircraft and airdropped by the landing and parachute methods together with the crew inside.
TASS reported at the international maritime defense show in St. Petersburg in June that the completion of the state trials of the Sprut-SDM1 light tank was scheduled for the beginning of 2022, following which its serial production would be arranged.
On December 6, following the talks between Russian President Vladimir Putin and India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Moscow and Delhi signed an agreement on the program of military-technical cooperation for 2021-2031. The document was signed in the presence of Russian and Indian Defense Ministers Army General Sergei Shoigu and Rajnath Singh.