Vijayanta
Encyclopedia
The Vijayanta main battle tank
was built in India
based on a licensed design of the Vickers Mk.1
. The Vijayanta was the first indigenous tank of the Indian army. The prototype was completed in 1963 and the tank entered service in 1965. The first 90 vehicles were built by Vickers
in the UK. Production continued at the Heavy Vehicles Factory
in Avadi
until 1983 with 2,200 being built (other sources give much lower numbers: 1,600-1,800). A number of the tank hulls were converted to other uses such as self propelled guns after being withdrawn from service. The Vijayanta has been supplanted by the T-72M1
in Indian service.
's V-84 of 780 hp), a new fire control system (the SUV-T55A), a land navigation system etc. It was planned to upgrade some 1,100 tanks but it appears that eventually only a small number was upgraded, only partially. Known versions include the Vijayanta Mark 1A with the Bharat Electronics Tank Fire-Control System AL 4420 with improved sight mounts and muzzle reference system. The Vijayanta Mark 1B was fitted with the AL 4421 system which incorporates a British Barr & Stroud Tank Laser Sight and a computer to increase first round hit probability. The Vijayanta Mark 1C and Vijayanta Mark 2 were the latest upgrades.
The Vijayanta was to be phased out by the Indian Army by 2008 (the decision to phase out 296 "pre Mark 1A tanks" was already taken in 1997). In 1997 the plan to repower the Vijayanta was shelved. The over-hauling of the fleet was discontinued from the year 1999-2000 as the Vijayanta was already approved for de-induction. Bulk production run of the Vijayanta spares ended in 1989.
Main battle tank
A main battle tank , also known as a battle tank or universal tank, is a tank that fills the heavy direct fire role of many modern armies. They were originally conceived to replace the light, medium, heavy and super-heavy tanks. Development was spurred onwards in the Cold War with the development...
was built in India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
based on a licensed design of the Vickers Mk.1
Vickers MBT
The Vickers MBT was a series of main battle tanks developed as a private venture by Vickers-Armstrongs for export. The design makes use of proven components such as the L7 gun of the Centurion, and the Leyland L60 multi-fuel engine, transmission and fire control system of the Chieftain...
. The Vijayanta was the first indigenous tank of the Indian army. The prototype was completed in 1963 and the tank entered service in 1965. The first 90 vehicles were built by Vickers
Vickers
Vickers was a famous name in British engineering that existed through many companies from 1828 until 1999.-Early history:Vickers was formed in Sheffield as a steel foundry by the miller Edward Vickers and his father-in-law George Naylor in 1828. Naylor was a partner in the foundry Naylor &...
in the UK. Production continued at the Heavy Vehicles Factory
Heavy Vehicles Factory
The Heavy Vehicles Factory , Avadi, is located in proximity to Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. HVF was set up in the year 1965 when the Government of India decided to manufacture heavy battlefield equipments, including Vijayanta Tank and T-72s...
in Avadi
Avadi
Avadi is a suburb of chennai and a municipality in Thiruvallur district in the state of Tamil Nadu, India. Avadi is an acronym for "Armoured Vehicles and Ammunition Depot of India". Situated about 23 km north west of Chennai, it is surrounded by major defence establishments.-Geography:Avadi...
until 1983 with 2,200 being built (other sources give much lower numbers: 1,600-1,800). A number of the tank hulls were converted to other uses such as self propelled guns after being withdrawn from service. The Vijayanta has been supplanted by the T-72M1
T-72
The T-72 is a Soviet-designed main battle tank that entered production in 1970. It is developed directly from Obyekt-172, and shares parallel features with the T-64A...
in Indian service.
Upgrades
70 Vijayanta Mark 1 tanks were later fitted with Marconi's SFCS 600 fire control system; an option for 70 additional systems was not exercised. Under the "Bison" project there have been several attempts to upgrade the Vijayanta fleet with additional armour (the Kanchan advanced composite armour as found on the Arjun tank), a new engine (the T-72T-72
The T-72 is a Soviet-designed main battle tank that entered production in 1970. It is developed directly from Obyekt-172, and shares parallel features with the T-64A...
's V-84 of 780 hp), a new fire control system (the SUV-T55A), a land navigation system etc. It was planned to upgrade some 1,100 tanks but it appears that eventually only a small number was upgraded, only partially. Known versions include the Vijayanta Mark 1A with the Bharat Electronics Tank Fire-Control System AL 4420 with improved sight mounts and muzzle reference system. The Vijayanta Mark 1B was fitted with the AL 4421 system which incorporates a British Barr & Stroud Tank Laser Sight and a computer to increase first round hit probability. The Vijayanta Mark 1C and Vijayanta Mark 2 were the latest upgrades.
The Vijayanta was to be phased out by the Indian Army by 2008 (the decision to phase out 296 "pre Mark 1A tanks" was already taken in 1997). In 1997 the plan to repower the Vijayanta was shelved. The over-hauling of the fleet was discontinued from the year 1999-2000 as the Vijayanta was already approved for de-induction. Bulk production run of the Vijayanta spares ended in 1989.
Variants
- Catapult SPAM-46 CatapultThe M-46 Catapult is a self-propelled gun developed in India by Combat Vehicles Research and Development Establishment of DRDO. It is based on the conversion of ageing British/Indian Vijayanta tank's hull mounted with Russian 130mm M-46 field gun....
- Self-propelled artillerySelf-propelled artillerySelf-propelled artillery vehicles are combat vehicles armed with artillery. Within the term are covered self-propelled guns and rocket artillery...
. A Russian M-46130 mm towed field gun M1954 (M-46)The 130 mm towed field gun M-46 M1954 is a manually loaded, towed 130 mm artillery piece, manufactured in the Soviet Union in the 1950s. It was first observed by the west in 1954...
field gun was mounted on a lengthened Vijayanta hull in an open-topped armoured box superstructure. - Kartik AVLBKartik BLTKartik is an armoured vehicle-launched bridge designed and developed by CVRDE and Research and Development Establishment, Pune. It is a second generation Indian Bridge Layer Tank , first introduced in 1989.-Hull:...
- Armoured vehicle-launched bridgeArmoured vehicle-launched bridgeAn armoured vehicle-launched bridge is a combat support vehicle, sometimes regarded as a subtype of combat engineering vehicle, designed to assist militaries in rapidly deploying tanks and other armoured fighting vehicles across rivers. The AVLB is usually a tracked vehicle converted from a tank...
. The same elongated hull used for the Catapult was also used to create the Kartik bridge launching vehicle. The Kartik uses a scissors style bridge of Eastern European design, and was first introduced in 1989. - Vijayanta ARV - Armoured recovery vehicleArmoured recovery vehicleAn armoured recovery vehicle is a type of armoured fighting vehicle used to repair battle- or mine-damaged as well as broken-down armoured vehicles during combat, or to tow them out of the danger zone for more extensive repairs...
based on the Vijayanta hull. The design was optimised to keep the weight within 40 tons to achieve a lifting capacity of 10 tons and pulling capacity of 25 tons. Around 200 numbers them have been purchased by Indian army to replace the obsolete Sherman and Centurion ARVs.
- CEASE - The Canal Embankment ASsault Equipment (CEASE) is a special type of bridging system developed by the Research & Development Establishment (Engineers) (R&DE(Engrs)), Pune. It is suitable for high bank canals up to 4.5m. as encountered in India's western borders. As of 1998 user assisted technical evaluation of the system has been completed successfully. Six tracked vehicles of CEASE has been developed as variants of Vijayanta.
- Vijayanta GBT 155 Turret - A Vijayanta MBT chassis fitted with the British Vickers Shipbuilding and Engineering Limited GBT 155 turret with a Royal Ordnance Nottingham 39 calibre ordnance underwent extensive firepower and mobility trials in India. This combination was not, however, adopted for service by the Indian Army.