More than a year after the Indian Army began large-scale deployment of its tanks in the highlands of eastern Ladakh, tank regiments are now gearing up to conduct operations in the region. Under this the personnel of this regiment have further evolved their standard operating procedures to use their machines more effectively at altitudes of 14,000 ft to 17,000 ft in the region.
The Indian Army has also started mass induction of T-90 Bhishma and T-72 Ajay tanks as well as BMP Series Infantry Combat Vehicles deployed in desert and plains to these high altitude locations. At the same time, an army officer told ANI that we have already spent a year at these heights in eastern Ladakh experiencing temperatures up to -45 degrees. We have developed our SOPs to operate the tanks in these temperatures and harsh terrains, he said.
The official said that despite the disengagement between India and China at some high altitude places like Pangong Lake and Gogra, both sides continue to maintain a large number of troops along the Line of Actual Control. Keeping an eye on China, the Indian Army continues to strengthen its operations with tanks and ICVs to meet any threat or challenge in these areas.
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Significantly, the Indian Army has built a huge infrastructure last year to further strengthen tank operations, including tank shelters, which will protect the machines from being kept out in the open during winter. Officials said that now we are emphasizing on the maintenance of these tanks as extreme winters can affect the rubber and other parts. If we can maintain these tanks well, we can use them here for a very long time.
Let us inform that after the arrival of Chinese troops in places like Finger area of Eastern Ladakh and Galwan Valley in May 2020, the Indian Army started inducting a large number of soldiers and machines. At the same time, the strict action of the Indian Army in the area prevented the Chinese from moving forward aggressively and the episode saw violent clashes in the Galwan river valley.
