India is bolstering its military capabilities along its northern border with China by acquiring American, Russian, and French military equipment.
The American military equipment we are talking about is the Stryker armored fighting vehicles (AFV).
Indian Army Chief General Upendra Dwivedi said on Tuesday that the Stryker was among the options being evaluated for rapid troop movement near the high-altitude Line of Actual Control (LAC).
“Stryker is one of the options we are looking at. Because we need a platform, we should be able to utilise it very well in the northern front,” Dwivedi told reporters at his annual press conference in New Delhi.
Dwivedi said: It should have all the capabilities in terms of protection, firepower, and mobility. So, if there is an Indian option, we would prefer to go with it. If not, we are definitely looking at other options.
The other option that Dwivedi was referring to is WhAP.
Indian defense giants Tata, Mahindra, and Kalyani had joined hands with the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) to build Wheeled Armoured Platform (WhAP).
Dr. S. Guruprasad, former director of Research and Development Establishment, a DRDO laboratory, earlier told the EurAsian Times: “WhAP is an excellent, proven technology. It has been tested at high altitudes. The Army was impressed by its performance.” Unlike the Stryker, WhAP is amphibious.
An armored vehicle has three distinct features: mobility, which defines its capability to negotiate a particular terrain; armored protection; and the weapons it carries.
WhAP can carry 2+9 people, while Stryker can also carry the same combo. While the Indian combat vehicle weighs 24.5 tons, the Stryker weighs 20.3 tons. WhAP’s power-to-weight ratio is 25, compared to Stryker’s 17.24.
WhAP also has amphibious capability, which the Indian Army desires, and even nuclear sensors that are absent in Stryker.
The Indian Defense Ministry has proposed a three-phase plan for the project. Valued at approximately US$1.5 billion for 530 units, the plan unfolds in three stages: initial procurement through US Foreign Military Sales, joint production in India, and co-development of tailored variants.
The US has been pushing India to acquire the armored vehicle, which is powered by a Caterpillar C7 engine with 350 horsepower, has a range of 483 kilometers, and can run at a maximum speed of 100 km/h.
It has bolt-on ceramic armor for improved protection and can withstand improvised explosive devices (IEDs).
The Stryker variants include Infantry Carrier Vehicles, Mobile Gun Systems, medical evacuation vehicles, fire support vehicles (ICV), anti-tank guided missile carriers, and reconnaissance vehicles.
It has been over 20 years since the Stryker debuted during Operation Iraqi Freedom II. During this operation, the 3rd Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division (now 1-2 Stryker Brigade Combat Team) earned its nickname ‘Ghost Soldiers.’
It earned the reputation amongst the US Armed Forces that “not only could these trucks bring you to the fight, but they could bring you home.”
Rafale
India has inducted 36 Rafale multi-role fighter jets from France’s Dassault Aviation under a 2016 deal worth $8.8 billion. The Indian Navy is also acquiring French Rafale-Marine jets in another major weapons deal worth about $7.5billion
Some of the Rafale jets are stationed at Hasimara air base in West Bengal, near the Chinese border, boosting Indian air power in the eastern sector.
Negotiations are advancing for up to 114 additional Rafales as part of India’s Multi-Role Fighter Aircraft (MRFA) program.
According to the news agency ANI, India is expected to discuss a deal worth 3.25 lakh crore to acquire 114 Rafale fighter jets from France, to be manufactured in India with an indigenous content of around 30%.
New Delhi is reportedly asking France to enable the integration of Indian weapons and other indigenous systems into the Dassault aircraft under the government-to-government deal; however, according to ANI, the source codes will remain with the French side only.
If the deal goes through on mutually beneficial terms, India would become the largest operator of Rafales outside France, with over 175 aircraft. It will not only be a big boost to the French aircraft industry but also to the Indian Air Force.
S-400
India has also deployed the Russian S-400 Triumf system in the region, hailed as a game-changer, during a brief clash with Pakistan in May 2020, to counter aerial threats from China.
The first squadron became operational in Punjab in 2021, with a second unit positioned along the northern border in 2022, according to government statements.
New Delhi signed a $5.43 billion deal with Moscow in 2018 for five S-400 regiments, defying U.S. sanctions threats under CAATSA.
The deployments come as India seeks to deter potential Chinese aggression, which claims large swathes of Indian territory in Ladakh and Arunachal Pradesh.
According to the Indian Air Force (IAF), the S-400 system also scored the longest surface-to-air kill in history during the May conflict with Pakistan. Its deployment near the Chinese border underscores its importance.
“We have at least five fighters confirmed kills and one large aircraft, which could be either an ELINT aircraft or an AEW&C aircraft, which was taken on at a distance of about 300 kilometres. This is actually the largest ever recorded surface-to-air kill that we can talk about,” Indian Air Force Chief Air Chief Marshal Amar Preet Singh said in August on Op Sindoor.
Calling the Russian-made S-400 a “game-changer,” he said: “Our air defense systems did a wonderful job. The S-400 system, which we recently bought, has been a game-changer. The range of that system has really kept their aircraft away from their weapons, like long-range glide bombs. They have not been able to use any of those because they have not been able to penetrate the system,” said the Air chief.
Meanwhile, Russia has assured India that it will deliver the two remaining S-400 Triumf squadrons by 2026-27. The delivery of the fourth and fifth squadrons has been greatly delayed due to the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war.
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