India`s military strength : INS Chakra submarine

Thursday, July 10, 2025

India`s military strength

Personnel

Indian military is the third largest force in the world. India’s Army, Air Force, Navy and Coastguard together have more than 1.3 million active personnel and nearly as many reservists. In comparison, China has nearly 2.3 million active personnel, while Pakistan has roughly 0.7 million men in the armed forces.

T-90 and Arjun tanks

Russian made T-90 is a third generation tank. With a 125 mm 2A46 smooth bore gun and thermal imaging sights, the Russian tank has been the first choice of the Indian Army. T-90 fires Armour Piercing Fin Stabilised Discarding Sabot (APFSDS) and High Explosive Anti Tank (HEAT) ammunition, as also the 6-km range Invar missile. The tanks have been acquired from Russia in several forms – fully-built versions, in semi knocked down kits and completely knocked down kits. The latest ones are being built with locally sourced raw materials. India is aiming to have more than 2000 such tanks by 2020.

Indigenously built Arjun tanks, on the other hand, are heavier with the Indian Army reportedly having doubts about their reliability vis-a-vis the T-90. Arjun Mk.1 has a 120mm gun and uses ammunition ranging from indigenously developed APFSDS to HEAT, High Explosive (HE) and High Explosive Squash Head (HESH). Mk.1 fires 8-km range LAHAT missile. The Arjun Mk.1 has undergone improvements and some 75 modifications, and is currently out in its latest avatar Arjun Mk.2 (currently undergoing field trials).

Agni missiles

India has developed a family of indigenous intermediate-range (IRBM ) and inter-continental (ICBM) ballistic missiles, called Agni (fire). Agni missiles are long range missiles and can carry nuclear warhead into enemy territory. These have been developed under the Integrated Guided Missile Development Programme. Currently, three variants of the missiles have been deployed, while two are under testing and the sixth one under development.

- Agni-I, a short-range ballistic missile with a range of 700–1,250 km, is operational
- Agni-II, an intermediate range ballistic missile with a range of 2,000 – 3,000 km, is operational
- Agni-III, an IRBM with a range of over 3,000 km, is operational
- Agni-IV, an IRBM with a range of about 4,000 km, is under testing
- Agni-V, an inter-continental ballistic missile with a range of over 5,000 km, is under testing
- Agni-VI, an ICBM with a range of upto 10,000 km, is under development

BrahMos

BrahMos is a two-stage supersonic missile, developed in cooperation with Russia. Considered to be the world’s fastest cruise missile in operation, BrahMos has a flight range of 290 kilometres. It can carry a conventional warhead of 200 to 300 kilograms. It can be launched from land, air, ships and submarines. The missile’s land-launched and ship-launched versions are already in service, while the aircraft-launched and submarine-launched versions are under development. A hypersonic version of the missile, named BrahMos-II, is also under development.

Prithvi

Prithvi is a surface-to-surface short-range ballistic missile (SRBM), developed indigenously under the Integrated Guided Missile Development Programme by the Defence Research and Development Organisation. It was the first product of the missile development programme. The Prithvi missile has three variants:

Prithvi I is used by the Army and has a range of 150 km (payload capacity - 1,000 kg)
Prithvi II has been developed for the Indian Air Force with a range of 250 km (payload capacity - 500 kg)
Prithvi III, which is yet to be inducted, is a naval version. The range is 350 km and payload capacity is 1000 kg

Bofors howitzers

155 mm Bofors howitzer artillery gun proved its capability and usefulness during the 1999 Kargil War. The Tololing victory could have proved to be much more difficult and loss-inflicting had the Bofors not rattled the intruders. Taking cue from the success, an indigenous version of the Bofors howitzer has been developed and is currently undergoing final round of user-trials. The electronically upgraded indigenous version has been named `Dhanush`, and is reported to perform 20-25% better than the original Swedish gun.

Pinaka

Pinaka multi barrel rocket launcher is an unguided rocket system. With its battery of six launchers, Pinaka can fire 12 rockets in a span of 44 seconds and has the capability to neutralise a target area of 3.9 sq km. It has already been inducted into the armed forces and is currently undergoing trials with some improvements in the system. The advanced version Mark-II rockets are capable of acting as a force-multiplier and can incorporate several types of warheads.

Sukhoi Su-30MKI

India operates fighter jets acquired from several nations, but the majority of them are of Russian origin. Leading among these are the Sukhoi Su-30MKIs. This supermaneuverable, heavy, all-weather, long-range fighter jet forms the backbone of the Indian Air Force. Su-30MKI is an Indian version of the Russian Sukhoi Su-30 fighter bomber and is built under licence by India`s Hindustan Aeronautics Limited for the Indian Air Force.

MiG-29

Russian-made MiG-29s have been a mainstay of the Indian Air Force for long. Developed by the Mikoyan Design Bureau as an air superiority fighter, MiG-29 provide both airborne fleet air defence and surface attack capabilities. The MiG-29s are now being converted into MiG-29SMT that will bring them on par with the advanced MiG-29M.

Mirage-2000s and Jaguars

These two fighter jets are capable of carrying nuclear weapons. While Mirage are French-built, Jaguars are the product of UK-French collaboration. India is in the midst of getting both of its Mirage and Jaguar fleet upgraded to meet modern requirements.

C-130J Super Hercules

The C-130J Super Hercules Special Operations aircraft is used for carrying out special operations including landing at inhospitable air strips. India currently has five such aircraft (one was lost in a recent crash) and has placed orders for six more with the US’ Lockheed Martin. The Indian Air Force had last year landed a C-130J Super Hercules at the world’s highest airstrip in Daulat Beg Oldi sector located in north-eastern Ladakh, close to the Line of Actual Control with China.

LCA Tejas

The Light Combat Aircraft Tejas is an indigenously developed multi-role fighter jet. The LCA, a tailless, single engine aircraft, has been developed to replace the ageing MiG-21 fighter jets. The aircraft was given initial operating clearance in 2011 and the government has already sanctioned money for the production of the fighter jet, development of which has been delayed by years.

INS Vikramaditya

INS Vikramaditya, originally Admiral Gorshkov/Baku, is a Kiev-class Russian aircraft carrier. The aircraft carrier was first commissioned in 1987 and served with the Soviet Union and Russian Navies till 1996, when it was decommissioned due to high operating costs. India purchased the giant aircraft carrier from Russia in January 2004. It was modified as per the Indian requirements and after a long delay, was commissioned into service with the Indian Navy on November 16, 2013. The ship was formally inducted into the Indian Navy by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on June 14, 2014 as INS Vikramaditya. This aircraft carrier, which is described as a `game changer` by the Indian Navy, stands about 20 storeys tall from keel to the highest point. The ship has 22 decks and can house 1600 personnel. The ship has the ability to carry over 30 aircraft.

Apart from INS Vikramaditya, India currently operates INS Viraat aircraft carrier which was acquired from the United Kingdom. It is due to be replaced by the indigenously built INS Vikrant, which is expected to be commissioned in 2017.

Further, the Indian Navy operates several amphibious warfare ships, and destroyers and frigates.

INS Chakra submarine

The Indian Navy operates a range of submarines. Among them is the nuclear-powered Akula II-class INS Chakra. The 12,770-tonne submarine has been acquired by India from Russia under a 10-year lease beginning 2012. India is also indigenously developing another nuclear-powered submarine, INS Arihant, which can be used to launch ballistic missiles. The 6,000-tonne submarine is expected to undergo sea trials soon. India also operates several conventionally-powered submarines like the Sindhughosh-class submarines and the Shishumar-class ones.

- By Deepak Nagpal