India relaunches a competition cut for a Leclerc Mk2 to replace its T-72

Can India and France collaborate to develop a new Leclerc Mk2 combat tank derived from the EMBT demonstrator? It is far from unthinkable today. In 2015, New Delhi had launched a competition to replace the some 2400 T-72 combat tanks in service since the beginning of the 80s. The specifications then transmitted aimed to acquire a modern combat tank with a mass of 45 to 55 tons, armed with a 120mm gun or more, and equipped with modern sighting and communication systems.

Due to the mass restriction, some Western tanks like the Leopard 2 and the Abrams were excluded, and 4 models were then considered: the Ukrainian T-84 Oplot, the K2 Black Panther South Korean, the Russian T-14 Armata and the French Leclerc.

As often in India, this competition was lost in political and administrative considerations, to finally be abandoned, the Indian authorities then deciding to turn to a safe bet, thee Russian T-90S Bishma already in service in its armies.

Since then, if relations between Moscow and New Delhi remain active, the capacities of Russian industry have been seriously compromised, and this for several years, while the Indian T-72s now mark the weight of the years.

At the same time, Pakistan acquired 300 Chinese VT4 tanks which are to be delivered by the end of the year, and China has also announced the development of a new battle tankt. It is therefore hardly surprising to see New Delhi relaunching a new competition, a kind of updated reissue of the 2015 one.

It is true that since 2015, the combat tank market has evolved considerably, and has taken on new colors following the central role that combat tanks play in the Ukrainian conflict.

And in fact, New Delhi has just announced a new program called Futur Ready Combat Vehicle or FRCV, with the ambition to design and build 1.770 armored vehicles, including 590 in the first phase, ranging from battle tanks to wheeled tank destroyers, passing through engineer armored vehicles, bridge armored vehicles, anti-aircraft defense or infantry combat armored vehicles.

The first phase of the program, ie 590 tanks, will focus on the design and manufacture of new generation tanks produced in 500 copies.

If the target mass remains the same, for obvious reasons related to the theaters in which the armored vehicles may have to evolve, in particular on the Himalayan plateaus, the new tank will have to be much more advanced than that expected in 2015, with in particular, beyond its armament main of 120mm minimum, an anti-aircraft cupola with a range of 2500 m, a Hard-kill type active protection system, as well as a vetronics and a modern and scalable aiming and combat system, adapted to different types of commitment.

The armored vehicle must also be able to carry active over-armouring if necessary, evolve in an NBC environment, and have a visual, thermal and radar signature reduced by 50% (probably compared to the T-72).

If the market is open to foreign companies, 70% of the armored vehicle will have to be produced in India, while the country will have to have all the means necessary to maintain and develop its fleet over its entire lifespan, estimated between 30 and 40 years old.

Manufacturers have until the end of the year to send their proposal to the Indian authorities, while the entry into service of the first armored vehicles should take place by 2030. Due to the considerable and probably unique market represented by this request, we can expect fierce competition between manufacturers.

To date, 5 tank models could meet these specifications. The Ukrainian T-84, the Russian T-14, the South Korean K2, the German KF-51 as well as a possible evolution of the French Leclerc based on the EMBT demonstrator.

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