New Delhi: The Ministry of Defence has signed a contract with Accurate Industrial Controls Private Limited to buy auxiliary power units (APUs) for T-72 and T-90 tanks at a cost of ₹586 crore, the ministry said on Monday.
The contract was signed in New Delhi in the presence of the defence secretary, Rajesh Kumar Singh.
An APU is an alternate source of electric power in a tank. It supplies the fire control system, firing circuit, gun stabilisation system and other ancillary equipment. In tanks without one, the main engine generally has to run to generate power when the vehicle is stationary.
An APU can supply this power instead, which reduces fuel use, engine wear and noise.
The ministry said the induction of indigenously developed APUs would strengthen the operational readiness, reliability and sustainability of the Indian Army’s mechanised formations. The T-72 and T-90 form the backbone of the Army’s armoured fleet.
It described the purchase as a step towards indigenisation of critical sub-systems of armoured platforms. The ministry said the deal reflects industry-led research and development under the Make-II category and shows that the mechanism can turn indigenous innovation into production and induction.
Under Make-II, industry develops a prototype at its own cost, and the government can place orders if the product clears trials.
The contract is in line with the government’s Viksit Bharat @2047 vision, the ministry said. It called the deal a milestone towards Aatmanirbharta, or self-reliance, in defence and towards building a resilient, self-reliant and globally competitive defence industry.
The statement did not give the number of units or the delivery timeline.
Backgrounder: the tanks in question
T-72 (Ajeya)
A Soviet-designed main battle tank, the T-72 entered Indian service in the late 1970s. It was later built under licence at the Heavy Vehicles Factory in Avadi, near Chennai, and named Ajeya. It weighs about 41 tonnes, carries a 125mm smoothbore gun and has a crew of three, with an autoloader in place of a human loader. The Army has upgraded the fleet over the years, including with night-fighting equipment. It remains one of the largest tank fleets in the force.
T-90S (Bhishma)
India signed its first deal for the Russian-origin T-90S in 2001, for 310 tanks, and later began licence production at Avadi. It weighs about 46 tonnes, also has a 125mm gun and an autoloader, and is fitted with more advanced fire control and protection systems than the T-72. The Army has ordered well over 1,000 T-90s in total, and they are deployed largely along the western border.
Arjun
Developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation, the Arjun is India's only fully indigenous main battle tank. A limited number of the Mk-1 version is in service, and the Army placed an order for the upgraded Mk-1A in 2021.
Fleet sizes and induction figures vary across public sources, so they should be checked against official data before publication.
