The Indian Army has deployed a large number of tanks and armored vehicles and carried out drills in Eastern Ladakh to cross the Indus River and attacks in enemy positions.
Special drills carried out by Indian tanks including T-90 and T-72 tanks and BMP infantry combat vehicles were witnessed crossing the Indus river which flows from Tibetan territory controlled by the Chinese Army through the entire Ladakh sector before entering Pakistan by ANI.
“This equipment is a 155 mm x 45 calibre Dhanush Made in India Howitzer. This modern two-system is made by a gun carriage factory in Jabalpur under the Make in-India scheme and it is stationed here since last year. It has the ability to target above 4000 meters of sea level with the accuracy of a 48-kilometre target. It has six types of ammunition and can fire three rounds in the first fire…This is the transfer of technology of Bofors. But India has made it by itself under the Make in India scheme,” Captain V Mishra said, as quoted by ANI.
What led to deployment of weapons in Eastern Ladakh
Earlier, the Indian Army used to carry out such drills in a big way in the Punjab sector along the Pakistan front as it was believed that only plains and deserts would see tank battles but the mindset changed later.
After the Chinese forces started showing aggression in the Eastern Ladakh sector by diverting its training exercise troops, the Indian Army brought in a large number of tanks and armoured combat vehicles in the eastern Ladakh sector that has large open valleys which are very conducive for tank battles.
Weapons deployed in Ladakh
The brigades and other formations with tanks started getting inducted into the force in Eastern Ladakh in 2013-14 onwards but the numbers increased manifold after the Galwan Valley clash incident in 2020.
The Indian Air Force’s C-17 and Ilyushin-76 transport aircraft brought in tanks and BMPs from deserts and plains in large numbers after that incident.
114 Guns developed and produced in former ordnance factory Board will also be joining the Indian Army.Â
M4 Quick Reaction Force Vehicle which can 10 combat-ready armed troops to the forward locations along the Line of Actual Control and can move at speeds of around 60-80 Km per hour even in the harsh terrain of Ladakh sector, Army officers deployed in the sector said.
