russia's Uralvagonzavod has expressed interest in cooperating with India through the sale of a localized variant of the T-14 Armata tank. In case of appropriate interest, this vehicle will be manufactured at Indian facilities with the involvement of local specialists.
russians say that a localized variant of the T-14 Armata can become the basis for the Indian project to create a new generation of NGMBT (Next Generation Main Battle Tank), and the Combat Vehicle Research and Development Establishment (CVRDE) could become a potential partner from the Indian side.
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However, according to ZBiAM, citing the Indian source IDRW, the proposal may represent an attempt by russia to address key issues in the T-14 Armata program through the use of foreign technologies.
russia has stated it is not ready to sell India the standard T-14 Armata variant, but appears open to offering a localized version equipped with India's DATRAN-1500HP diesel engine rated at 1,500 horsepower.
It is worth noting that even in the localized production of the T-90 Bhishma, Uralvagonzavod provides up to 83% of the components, while India contributes mainly through domestic electronics.
One of the T-14 Armata's key problems remains the reliability of its powerpack. Given that russians have acknowledged the Armata is not intended for large-scale combat, it is not surprising that by early 2024, only around 20 units had been produced as part of a pilot run.
According to Ukraine's Defense Intelligence, russian military industry planned to produce 29 T-14 Armata tanks in 2023, but the target was not met. As of the beginning of 2024, the plan for 29 tanks was also not fulfilled, and the progress of implementation remains unknown.
Against this backdrop, it is reasonable to assume that russia may seek technological support from India's defense industry to address persistent powerpack reliability issues and begin at least limited production of the Armata tank.
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