The Indian Army has deployed heavyweight T-90 and T-72 battle tanks of the Armoured Regiment along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh to handle the front and counter the Chinese Army in the long winter season amidst ongoing border tensions with the Dragon. Apart from these tanks, BMP-2 Combat Vehicles have also been deployed in the Chumar-Demchok area of eastern Ladakh, 200 km from Leh, at an altitude of 14,500 ft, which is said to be the world’s highest battlefield in terms of tanks. The Indian Army is also working on a war footing to fight fierce winters by building new shelters and prefabricated structures for soldiers to combat cross-border enemies.
The Indian forces are ready to compete with China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) with these heavyweight tanks which can also be operated at a temperature of minus 40 degree Celcius. The weather in the eastern Ladakh region during winters is severely cold where the temperature dips to minus 35 degrees during nights coupled with high-speed freezing winds.
Apart from this, according to Major General Arvind Kapoor of the Chief of Staff of the 14 Corps, strong icy winds also blow and maintenance of tanks, big guns and war vehicles is a big challenge in this area. The Fire and Fury Corps is the world’s only contingent of the Indian Army, which has been deployed to handle the front in such a situation where adequate arrangements for the maintenance and preparation of soldiers and weapons have been made.
India’s Armoured Regiment has the ability to reach LAC within a short time. On 29-30 August, China prepared its tanks and tried to capture some of India’s posts. However, Indian troops not only thwarted Chinese incursions, but also captured important peaks on the southern side of the Pangong.
Major General Kapoor said that the mechanised infantry of the Indian Army has experience of working under any weather conditions and in any area. It has the capability to fight on a long-term basis because of facilities such as high-mobility ammunition and missile storage. Indian armoured regiments have so much capability that they can reach the LAC within minutes.
As another round of Indian and Chinese military diplomatic dialogue for total Ladakh disengagement will soon take place, the Indian Army commanders are prepared for the long winter ahead.