Indian Defence

Post Galwan Stanoff – A Turning Point in Border Security Developments

The 8.5 month tenure between May 2020 and mid-Jan 2021 consisting all the skirmishes between the forces securing the Sino-Indian Border which we know as the India-China Galwan Valley Clash, proved to be a turning point of realization that India needs an urgent strengthening of the borders. The already known increasing military power of China coupled with the aggressive melee face-offs turned to be the wakeup call as India needs to set and upgrade its priority security forces in the borders that we share in the north. Since this incident, there has been a spearheaded development in various military platforms and weapon systems to counter border skirmishes and further potential aggressions. Let’s see some of the prominent ones that made headlines post the Indo-China Galwan Clash.

TATA QRFV

Developed and manufactured by Tata Advanced Systems Limited, the QRFV (Quick Reaction Fighting Vehicle) is a behemoth armoured personnel carrier of Indian Army. 4 years down the line, India faced a lack of these vehicle and so did our soldiers the lack of armoured safety and mobility. Bur right now, it’s enjoying the time when Indian soldiers need the best piece of security. It comes with 4×4 drivetrain for superior off-road capabilities considering its big size. The QRFV features STANAG Level 4 grade Armour which can successfully stop Armour Piercing 14.5x114mm rounds and underbelly/side mine explosions and medium protection against 155mm High Explosive artillery rounds. According to TASL, it can successfully withstand 21 kg of explosives in its near-impact zone. It comes with a 6-speed 240hp turbodiesel engine which can pull off a maximum speed of 80 km/h and is fitted with run-flat tires which is expected to have long-distance running capabilities due to its specialized material integration even if the tyres burst.

The QRFV is a fully in-house developed and manufactured beast. The entire body of applique and composites integrated welded steel is made out of a single sheet which makes it a zero-joint system, as a result features greater strengthening. It can carry a payload of 2 tons including 14 personnel. Apart from the engine in the frontal section, the entire body is STANAG-4 protected. The armoured sides come with a total of 10 firing ports where the soldiers can mount their rifles while staying inside protected, in cases of sudden firing situations. It also has a 360 degree rotating current on the roof capable of fitted with 7.62mm or 50-cal machine guys along with night-vision and thermal cameras.

Indian Army is already satisfied with this vehicle’s promises and on July 25, 2022, TASL took it to Twitter to announce their successful delivery of QRFVs to the army with a video showing a large convoy of combat-ready QFRVs going to their destination, somewhere in the northern mountainous region of India. With the arrival of the QRFV, India is back in the game as this beat is miles ahead of China’s equivalent Dongfeng Mengshi, which is considered to be a mere reverse-engineered version of US’ armoured Humvees.

TATA QRFV (front), 2 Kalyani M4s (middle), K9 Vajra(behind) in India’s Republic Day Parade, New Delhi (source – Reddit)

Arjun MK1A and MK2

The Arjun a third-generation battle tank of Indian Army which has already got its name among the best combat main battle tanks of the world. Although this platform has already a ride for our soldiers for two decades now, time have changed, and so has the modern battlefield scenario. Its phase two now as the Arjun MK1s are getting overhauled while the new models are getting named Arjun MK1A and the MK2. Since 2021, Arjun MK1A has entered production and although the dimensions of the platform is still same, the warfare capabilities are getting big upgrades keeping in mind the China’s huge numbers and overpowering firings in border scenarios. The MK1A has an official record of 89 upgrades over its previous model. With a 120mm cannon acting as the main gun, it can fire Armour Piercing Fin Stabilized Discarding Sabot rounds (APFSDRS, high-explosive anti-tank rounds and thermobaric rounds, along with a Tk-715A 7.62mm turret. The gunner’s main sight has now been integrated with an automatic target tracking system, and the commander’s panoramic sight has been integrated with a laser range finder with thermal and infrared capabilities. The best addition till now has been the Remote Controlled Weapon System which has been integrated with the secondary turrets till now. With the firepower upgrades, the platform has also been revamped with a redesigned hydropneumatic suspension system and a new auxiliary power unit with a 2x power generation system, giving it more agility and vibration absorption.

Arjun MK1A in trials

While the MK1A is already in production, the even newer MK2 is still in the nascent stages of development. Termed as the FMBT as an upcoming Next-generation Main Battle Tank, it’s going to be smaller, lighter and is built keeping in mind the longevity, firepower and endurance needed to sustain in the border areas. It will be apparently fitted with an Electro Optical Targeting System, high-powered laser weaponry and range improvements of all the types of rounds able to be fired from the guns. On 23 September 2021, the Indian Army signed a contract for 118 Arjun Mk1As and it is currently in advanced prototype phase. The MK2 (FMBT) is still in concept phase and will enter development after production and trials are finalized for the MK1A.

Zorawar

Project Zorawar is an indigenous light tank design concept – although ‘termed’ as concept, exact details are classified as of now. Apparently it is being designed to have a high power-to-weight ratio and formidable firepower, protection and network centric warfare capabilities. According to latest sources, DRDO and Larsen & Tourbo (L&T) have been already engaging in the project’s prototype buildups with a projected time of 2024. According to The Print, the first prototype had a launch timeline of December 2023 after which it will undergo development trials but other than this, there’s no more official advancements. What’s concrete is that the Zorawar is being made with its full focus being countering China in the borders. Ministry of Defence kept in mind China’s possession of 500 light tanks while India has none and therefore put this project in a priority status. Light tanks are highly suited to the border area that the two countries share especially in the areas of Ladakh sector, Uttarakhand, Tawang, and Arunachal Pradesh due to its substantial agility and movement what the bigger Arjuns and T-90s would lack in this areas.

The tank is expected to be around 25-30 tonnes and would run in a specially developed fuel – not the one India’s conventional tanks run on. US’ Cummins has been given the contract for the Zorawar’s engines. Whether the base chassis contract will be given to tank manufacturer or will it be an armoured mobility manufacturer is still unknown. But allegedly talks have been too far now where Indian Army is looking for 350 of these units with 2 production lines in priority status to counter China’s Type-15/ZTQ-105 light tanks in the borders.

HAL LCH ‘Prachand’

Standing tall as another proven point of pride with a select few nations of indigenously building an attack helicopter, the Prachand is a beast of its own class. Sticking to the original timeline, this project had nothing to do with Galwan clashes but the event certainly made its point for the Prachand to be combat ready before disaster strikes home once more. Although it is still not in a mass-production state, they have been inducted and combat-ready since October 2022 it’s already been a year since Indian Army has been moving these attack helos to the Line of Actual Control border.

The LCH (Light Combat Helicopter) has the highest flight ceiling and the best altitude endurance among all the attack helicopters present in the world. It is the only attack helo which can take-off and land at above 5000m while carrying heavy weapons and payload. It has already clear tests to operate successfully in all sorts of situations even in areas as high and turbulent as the Siachen. These basic characteristics are extremely crucial for countering China in these treacherous high-altitude borders.

Powered by 2 Safran Ardiden engines producing 1384HP each, the LCH beat its rival Changhe Z-10 in terms of cruising speed, endurance, service ceiling, rate of climb and certified situations. The LCH is an all-weather aircraft with capabilities of destroying drones, tanks, ground tangos, enemy air defences and slower aircrafts. A 20mm M261/Nexter THL-20 cannon, 4x laser guided FZ275 Laser Guided Rockets, 2 Mistrals for short-range air-defence, 4 indigenous Dhruvrastra anti-air guided missiles, HSLD precision guided bombs and 70mm rockets, the Prachand is a hovering ‘All Job Done’ beast. And the introduction of this attack helicopter has certainly raised the eyebrows of both China and Pakistan.

LCH Prachand (Image Credits – LivefistDefence.com)

Tata IPMV (Kestrel)

First starred at DefExpo 2016, the Tata Kestrel is an indigenous beast of its own developed and manufactured by TATA Advanced Systems Limited and DRDO. This armoured personnel carrier had its origin before the Galwan standoff as the Ministry of Defence cleared the serial production and Indian Army has already initiated its acquisition of 200 Kestrels as the IPMV (Infantry Protected Mobility Vehicle) family. For this deal, TASL is partnering with UK’s SC Group to make the vehicle variants according to the Army requirements. With a Cummins ISXe 600 diesel engine 600HP and Allison 4500SP automatic transmission, it pulls of a stunning maximum operating range of 500 km and a maximum top speed of 100 km/h. It can carry a crew of 12. The Kestrel has a highly distinct suspension mechanism and coupled with the Cummins engine and Allison powertrain, it stands out as one of the best offroad capable military armoured personnel carriers.

A TATA WHAP with a BMP-turret

The Tata WHAP/Kestrel/IPMV boasts an applique armour-kevlar-welded steel mixed Level 4 STANAG 4569 armour. Its primary armament is a 30mm cannon which can be fitted with a variety of turrets, including the Kongsberg Protector MCT-30R(RWS). Its remotely controlled 30mm autocannon has a maximum range of 3000m. The RCWS can be upgraded with a 12.7mm machine gun as a secondary firearm or a 40mm automatic grenade launcher and it also has the option to add up to two anti-tank guided missile launchers.

The Kestrel is a booming addition to the Indian Army as their first batch had already been inducted in April 2022 and has been continuing ever since. It’s successful mountainous terrain test and the way it can handle those all-weather situation conditions in mountain warfare and personnel mobility has left our soldiers amazed. With the recent pairup with the will-be-purchased Stryker Armoured Personnel Carriers from the United States of America, its a damn powerful combo to face. If the current reports are true then once indigenous IPMV beasts and the SHORAD-M Strykers start operating together, those Dongfeng reverse-engineered Chinese clones of Hummers in the name of armoured personnel carriers won’t be much of an issue of concern for solider mobility mediums.

Kalyani M4

It was DefExpo 2020 when the Kalyani Group’s Bharat Forge’s pavilion’s showcased vehicle took centre stage – as the spotlight fell onto this magnificent armoured personnel carrier – the Kalyani M4. It is a homegrown license-made version of South Africa’s Paramount Group’s Mbombe 4 and considering the border rifts, this vehicle got its place in the ranks of Indian army after an emergency procurement worth $23.6 million. Till now more than 60 units are on order after it successfully executed all the terrainous trials, majority of which took place in Ladakh.

Kalyani M4 (Source – Google Images)

The Kalyani M4 is defined as a mine protected, infantry and extraction armoured personnel carrier. It can carry a maximum payload of 2.3 tonnes with a crew of up to 8 people. It comes with a NATO STANAG Level III armour with full capability of stopping 7.62mm/6.5 Creedmoor/similar sniper rounds and light artillery fire. It features a 6-speed automatic transmission with a Bilstein Heavy Duty Suspension for superior all-terrain capabilities and 465 HP producing turbocharged diesel engine. It boasts a top speed of 140 km/h and a maximum range of 800 km.

Fast forward to October 2022, Bharat Forge has already started delivering the M4s while some of them has also been sent for United Nations Peacekeeping deployments. Claiming a state-of-the-art armour protection it has cleared tests with successful withstanding capability of 10kg TNT under the wheels and 50kg IED blast on the sides – making itself a premium candidate in Indian Armed Forces’ modernized mobility transformation.

Also Read, Fueling India’s Air Power Ambitions: Aerial Tanker Capabilities

Futuristic Infantry Combat Vehicle (FICV)

Although it has been a project in the papers for a long time, the Galwan clash acted as a wakeup call as in June 2021, after the face off, Indian Army issued for a Request for Information to finalize the specifications acquiring 1750 Futuristic Infantry Combat Vehicles under Make In India initiative to target enemy tanks and troops and as a firing support with suppressive fire for the light tanks (Project Zorawar). While the project saw its starting line in 2009 with the primary objective being to replace the older BMP-2s, FICV went nowhere due to technical challenges and design specifications, bureaucratic hurdles and procedural delays. Border security is still the utmost priority but no fixed leads aren’t there yet.

Allegedly L&T Defence, Tata, Bharat Forge and Mahindra had responded to the last RFI. The armament suite is expected have a 30mm automatic cannon, fire-and-forget anti-tank guided missiles and 12.7mmm Remote Controlled Weapon Stations. According to L&T Defence’s official conversation with Sarosh Bana, Executive Editor of Business India, they are one of the bidders with the offering of their 3040 MX propulsion solution along with their design mocks, and would build the FICV at its Armoured Systems Complex at Hazira, Gujarat if the firm is able to take the final contract.

Akash NG

Designed by DRDO, produced by Bharat Dynamics Limited and Bharat Electronics, the Akash-New Generation is a medium range, mobile surface-to-air missile defense system. It comes as a successor of the original Akash medium range SAMs but possesses some devastating upgrades. Since its design completion in 2021, it has undergone several tests. The Akash NG has been designed with better deployability while also having the ability to be fired from the original Akash launchers.

Akash NG uses a dual-pulse solid rocket motor with solid rocket fuel and uses optical proximity fuze detonation mechanism for its high-explosive fragmentation warheads. The missile has a range of 80 km and will likely have a top speed of the previous Akash’s speed cap of Mach 2.5. While official records state it has a flight ceiling of 14km, some analysts have said it can achieve 17-18km altitude given its promising specifications. It uses a two-way datalinked inertial navigation system for its mid-flight course and active radar homing for its terminal course. It boasts less than 20 minutes for transport-unload, prep-up and ready to fire mode and has a 3 missiles in 20 seconds fire rate. Akash NG will likely retain the Rajendra 3D AESA radar that can track 64 targets at a time while simultaneously engaging 12 of them. Given the original Akash’s abilities, Akash-NG also comes up as a potential preference for the core standoff weapons to counter China’s missile deployments in the Xinjiang and Tibet regions.

Akash & Akash-NG launch platform, developed by L&T (Source – Twitter(X))

Other Game Changing Weapons that have being rapidly deployed across LAC since the fateful standoff

Artillery Systems – The DRDO ATAGs, BAE Systems M777 and Bofors L-70 anti-aircraft gun are three feared contenders that Chinese soldiers would certainly be fearful of. While development and testing were almost done in 2019, the Advanced Towed Artillery Gun System got fast tracked to army induction in 2022 after the urgent need of border security and this platform sure does some damage. Standing as one of the best indigenous artillery developments, the ATAGs fire 155mm rounds with an effective firing range of 48 km for its High Explosive Fragmentation rounds. Further development is also going on Ramjet Propelled 155mm shells which will be able to fire targets beyond 60km. In June 2021, just a month after Galwan clashes ended, the ATAGs completed their 15000ft altitude operational tests and by the successive year, completed all the trials with flying colours. Indian Army submitted a proposal worth $1 billion to the Ministry of Defence for acquisition of 307 of these systems to be deployed across the borders of both China and Pakistan.

L-70s in Arunachal Pradesh (Source – Twitter (X))

The BAE Systems M777 is another brutal pounder which ranks itself as one of the best self-propelled howitzers. India bought 145 of these systems where BAE Systems is sending 25 in combat-ready state while the rest 120 are being assembled in India by Mahindra Defence. The L-70 anti-aircraft gun boasts a maximum firing rate of upto 330 rounds/min. Deployment of L-70s is a part of series of the measures that Army has taken to bolster its operational preparedness along the LAC in the eastern sector in the face of the Galwan standoffs. More than 1000 of L70s are already equipped in the border areas of Arunachal Pradesh and has been reportedly upgraded to take down enemy UAVs, attack helos and other fixed wing aircrafts.

Indian Army has also fielded the K9 Vajra since the 100 unit acquisition of this platform in 2016 followed by another 40 in plans. This South Korean 155mm self-propelled howitzer has a maximum firing range of 60km and being a mobile system, it is capable of running at a top speed of 67 km/h with a maximum operational range of 360km.

India has moved up Pinaka and Smerch SAM batteries up close the Indo-China border (Image Credits – Rediff.com)

Aircrafts – Known as the ‘Defender of the North’, the Tridents Squadron of upgraded Mig-29s have been moved to the Srinagar AFB to counter Chinese airspace violations.  The MiG-29s were also the 1st aircraft to have been deployed in the Ladakh sector for tacking the threat from the Chinese side after the Galwan clash of 2020 and have thwarted multiple such attempts since then. Since China has now aggressively deployed J10s and J11s in Tibet and other border areas shared by India, our country has also responded the same. India has deployed Rafales from the Eastern Command’s Hasimara AFB. Few Rafales and Sukhoi Su-30 MKIs have been stationed in Leh. Once acquired, the MQ-9 Reapers will join these forces as the best piece of combat UAV to counter Chinese aggressions. Of the 31 Reapers expected, majority will likely be patrolling the Chinese borders while the rest will focus on Pakistan. LCA Tejas’ are also getting rapidly prepped up to counter these scenarios. The Netra and Poseidon P8Is are also being used for surveillance across the entire Line of Actual Control.

An IAF AH-64 Apache in an unspecified location across LAC (Source – Twitter)
An Indian Mil Mi-24 gunship during a practise sortie in Arunachal Pradesh (Image Credits – Flickr)

Around 50,000 to 60,000 additional troops have already been stationed across the border with full combat readiness. The Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) is also assisting India’s strategic border build-up. It is planning to recruit an additional 10,000 troops to deploy along the LAC who will be responsible for guarding 47 Border-Out-Posts (BOPs). Ministry of Defence has also invested in building additional 104 roads comprising a total of 6400km long for ‘strategically important’ routes for modernized infrastructure, logistics support and troops and weapons mobility. Leh and Ladakh villages near military bases are almost fully upgraded with active 4G services and other network centric capabilities for datalinked advantages in related warfare and connected military platforms.

Indian Army has also engaged in tenders for procuring smaller drones and similar single-man remote-controlled quadcopters for border surveillance. OEMs (Original Equipment Manufacturers) are already getting invited for these. As loitering munitions are getting more and more popular and effective since their use in the Ukraine War, India is also testing its own version of Switchblade drones – the ALS50. Troops are getting upgraded with the SSS Defence modded AKs and the more-incoming Sig Sauer 716I rifles. As versatile as they can be, they possess the ability to be used as both close range and DMR platforms. Special Forces in standby already have the state-of-the-art M4s, Israeli TAR-21s and kevlar protection. The latest Sako TRG-42 rifles have been in our soldiers’ hands firing the lethal .338 Lapua Magnum rounds and given our average marksman’s skills, Chinese soldiers aren’t even close to such skill. China spends almost all of their defence budget in their jets, navy vessels and missile defence systems and that’s the main reason their ground troops severely lack in quality of equipment.

Subhodip Das

An Average Mechanical Engineering student from Jadavpur University, Kolkata who dreams of having a fully customized AR-15 draped on the wall....very childish ain't it ! Well apart from that, Art is the one absolute thing I practically live for.

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