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Indian army eliminated from multi nation tank competition after much hyped T-90s tanks develop snags

August 13, 2017

MOSCOW, Aug 13 (INP) The Indian Army has been exposed as the much hyped army was eliminated from a multi-nation tank competition in Russia after both of its T-90 main battle tanks developed technical problems at the Alabino ranges in the Moscow region. According to reports, the Indian army had sent two T-90s, a main tank and a reserve one and a 21-man crew for the tank biathlon at the 2017 International Army Games in Russia. Army officers said India had a good start at the biathlon but the Indian Army was disqualified from the competition after both Russian-origin tanks broke down during the penultimate round. The officers said the main tank’s fan belt broke, while the other failed to perform after its engine oil leaked. China with its Type-96B tank and Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan with different T-72 variants raced to the last round of the competition in which 19 countries took part. Other participants included Azerbaijan, Angola, Armenia, Belarus, Venezuela, Zimbabwe, Iran and Mongolia. Degraded engine performance of T-90s, the mainstay of India’s tank fleet, is a concern for the army. The tanks are unable to operate for sustained periods in high temperatures due to radiator problems, revealed a report by the army design bureau earlier this year.