Ajay Singh

It seems fashionable to proclaim that the ‘the end of the tank is near’. However, even as the debate rages, 10 major Armoured Fighting Vehicle (AFV) programmes are going on throughout the world at an estimated cost of USD25 billion. These programmes range from the Russian T-14 Armata, the Polish PL-01, to the Chinese MBT 3000, the Japanese Type 30, US M-1 A3 Abrams, the Indian Arjun Mark II, a Franco-German joint development programme and even a US futuristic tank design programme under the name DARPA GXV-T. The pursuance of these programmes indicates that nations see an extended future for the tank, and perhaps the impending demise of the tank is highly exaggerated.

Yet, there is a change in tank design. The emphasis is not so much on the traditional norms of mobility, protection and firepower, but on developing the ‘brain’ of the tank—i.e., its situational awareness. Emerging technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), Robotics,

Miniaturisation, and the Internet of Things (IoT) are being gradually incorporated which can help the machine virtually think for itself and make it completely integrated with its crew, the terrain and elements on the battlefield. The virtual intelligence which is being provided will bring a new dimension to tank warfare.

By 2030 or so, these new technologies would have become an integral part of life and society itself (especially AI and the IOT which would have permit machines to ‘talk’ to each other and make their own decisions). Their incorporation on the battlefield would also be but a matter of course. To see how they could be used, let us have a look at a fictional—or maybe not-so-fictional—scenario of a tank battle in 2030 and beyond.

Tank Battle 2030

Year 2030. A Combat Group, which is part of a Combat Command based on MBT 2020, moves across the Ladakh plateau. Hostilities had broken out 24 hours earlier and in the short intense war that was envisaged, they had been tasked to destroy the enemy’s mobile reserves in the area. The tanks moved easily across the high-altitude desert, their tracks adjusting their tension automatically as per the ground. Each tank was an intricate connection of sensors that enabled it to diagnose itself, and also keep track of the health of the engine, its components and sub-systems, heat and acoustic signatures and even the consumption of fuel, water, lubricants and ammunition. These ‘smart’ machines definitely made life easier for their crew, especially since they were also equipped with other niceties such as self-erecting camouflage nets, automatic temperature regulation and automatic logistics. Though each tank and ICV were buttoned down, the crew had complete situation awareness thanks to its Battlefield Management System (BMS) which provided complete and real-time information of the terrain, friendly forces, the enemy and the overall environment around it.

1

The Combat Group