New Delhi: About 41 per cent of the Indian Army’s arsenal falls under the vintage category, with only 12-15 per cent being state of the art technology — a trend which the force hopes to change by 2030 through its systematic modernisation programme.
Addressing his annual press conference in New Delhi Thursday, Army Chief Gen Manoj Pande said every force will have three categories of equipment – vintage, current and state of art.
“In our current profile, I would say it is 45 per cent vintage, 41 per cent current and 12-15 per cent state of the art,” he said.
The Army chief added, “By 2030, because of our modernisation plans, we will reach close to 35 per cent current and 44 per cent state of art,’ he said.
As far as vintage equipment is concerned, he said one method to counter it is an upgrade.
He said the Army has initiated projects to upgrade its existing tanks, artillery, and electronic warfare to improve the contemporary technology department.
So while legacy systems get old, in terms of their ability they remain current, he added.
“That is how we are striking a balance and managing a mix of the three. And that is the way forward,” the Army chief said.
The Army has also upgraded its tanks and armoured personnel carriers besides artillery guns, as reported by ThePrint previously.
For example, last year, the Indian Army inducted the newly upgraded L-70 air defence guns with full day and night vision capabilities and automatic target acquisition mode.
While the guns were first brought in the 1960s, 200 of them underwent an upgrade following a 2017 contract with state-run Bharat Electronics Limited.
It is also in the process of acquiring new equipment including surveillance drones, loitering munitions and integrating Artificial Intelligence into various operational roles.
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