Indian Army Issues RFI For Future Ready Combat Vehicle Project To Replace T-72 Tanks

Intending to replace the ageing Soviet-origin T-72 tanks, India's Defense Ministry has issued a global request for information (RFI) on Wednesday for development and manufacturing of new generation, state-of-the-art tanks.

As reported by Economic Times on Friday, the Indian Army is looking to procure over 1700 Future Ready Combat Vehicle (FRCV) under the Strategic Partnership model in collaboration with an Indian partner and it will form the “base platform for the Main Battle Tank, as well as a family of variants such as lighter tanks”. As per the model plan, the design will be provided by the Foreign Original Equipment Manufactured to the selected Indian strategic partner.

According to RFI, the FRCV is planned to be used for "rapid dominance" in the battlefield with real time awareness, agility, lethal firepower and multi-layered protection. The army wants it to be able to conduct operations during day and night and respond to anti-tank and anti-aircraft threats, including low flying manned and unmanned rotary aircraft. It is likely to be employed in varied terrains, including high altitude areas, deserts and mountainous terrain. 

This includes operations at temperatures ranging between -30 degress celsius to +50 degrees celsius. A previous RFI issued in June, 2015, for the designs of a FRCV stated that the vehicle should be able to be used along India's western border. 
The report states that the total number of FRCVs to be manufactured under this project can exceed over 2000. It will be used in border areas close to Pakistan and China.

The Army is seeking induction of the FRCVs by 2025-27. Accordingly, the RFI was issued to procure 1,770 FRCVs in a phased manner.