NEW DELHI, September 21. /TASS/. The Indian Ministry of Defense has signed a Rs 586-crore ($61 mln) contract with Accurate Industrial Controls Private Limited to procure auxiliary power units for the Indian army’s Soviet-designed T-72 and T-90 tanks, the ministry reported.

The contract was signed in New Delhi in the presence of Defense Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh. "The domestically developed auxiliary power units will further strengthen the combat readiness, reliability, and autonomy of the Indian Army’s armored forces," the Ministry of Defense noted.

"This procurement is an important step toward localizing the production of critical armored vehicle subsystems and demonstrates the results of research and development work carried out by the industry. It also demonstrates the effectiveness of the mechanism for integrating domestic innovations into production and adopting them into service," the ministry added.

It noted that the contract aligns with the government’s Vision for Developed India by 2047 and represents a significant milestone in efforts to achieve self-sufficiency in the defense sector, as well as create a sustainable, independent, and globally competitive Indian defense industry.

Soviet-and Russian-designed T-72 and T-90 tanks, in various modifications, form the backbone of India’s armored forces. In total, the Indian army operates up to 4,000 such tanks, most of which were assembled in India under license.