Time to Get Serious

Mihir Paul

In addition to the numerous big-ticket procurements that were fast-tracked for the Indian Army this year, the need for a robust inventory of Infantry Combat Vehicles (ICVs) continues to be felt.

BMP 2 during Exercise Sanghe Shakti

Armoured vehicles have always had a role in warfare, albeit varying in degree of importance. Tanks have invariably played a decisive role in a plethora of conflicts. Although extremely lethal, effective, and well protected, tanks become vulnerable to local threats in the battlefield when independently operated. Threats like missiles launched from aerial platforms to infantry carrying portable hand-held anti-tank weapons must be handled well in order to carry out operations effectively. Therefore, a need for group infantry with tanks was felt and thus, the concept of mechanised infantry came up in modern warfare. The infantry was provided with armoured vehicles to close the mobility and protection gap between tanks and troops. This was the origin of Armoured Personnel Carriers (APC). The APC was designed as an armoured vehicle capable of carrying infantry and equipment into the battlefield. These ‘Battle Taxis’ were soon replaced by heavily armed ICVs which are in use today. Vehicles of mechanised infantry like APCs and ICVs are fully tracked or all-wheel drive platforms that offer extreme mobility across all terrains. While APCs are usually only armed with light support weapons, ICVs come with machine guns, auto-cannons, small-bore direct fire artillery, anti-tank guided missiles, and gun ports for passengers to fire.

According to Brig. Ravi R. Palsokar (retd), the modern integrated battlefield necessitates close coordination between its component fighting arms – tanks, infantry, artillery, et al. backed up by re