The Indian Army has established two of the world’s highest tank repair facilities in Ladakh near the Line of Actual Control (LAC), a hypothetical demarcation separating India and China. While one of these centres is located in the north, the other is situated in the east.
The development comes amid New Delhi’s strained relations with Beijing following the 2020 standoff in eastern Ladakh. Due to China’s increased military deployment, India has also shored up its defences near its border with the Asian giant.
Two days back, External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar admitted that the deployment of forces along the border with China was “abnormal”. “This is a very abnormal deployment along the LAC. Given the tension between the two countries… As Indian citizens, none of us should disregard the security of the country…it is today a challenge,” he said.
Amid sustained tensions between the two nations, let’s understand why the Indian Army’s move is significant.
Tank repair facilities in Ladakh
A tank repair facility has come up in the Daulat Beg Oldi (DBO) Sector and the other in Nyoma at altitudes of over 14,500 feet, as per an ANI report.
These armoured vehicle maintenance and repair facilities were much-needed as India deployed several tanks, BMP combat vehicles, and Indian-made Quick Reaction Fighting Vehicles after the 2020 Galwan Valley clash with China.
“The tanks and infantry combat vehicles have been deployed in these super-high-altitude areas, where it is very difficult even to get them back for maintenance and repair,” Indian Army officials told the news agency ANI.
“To help sustain the armoured vehicle operations in the region, we have set up these Medium Maintenance (Reset) Facilities at Nyoma and near KM-148 on the DS-DBO Road in the DBO sector. These are the two main areas where tank and ICV operations are focused in the eastern Ladakh sector,” they further said.
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Why does the move matter?
India has stationed over 500 tanks and infantry combat vehicles in eastern Ladakh. To get them to the mainland for repair and maintenance was a tough task.
These new repair centres will help the Indian Army to bolster the effectiveness and serviceability of the armoured fighting vehicles, military officials told India Today.
The Army has been building infrastructure to house its tanks, including T-90, T-72 and the K-9 Vajra self-propelled Howitzers, at high-altitude regions where temperatures go below freezing point in winters.
On 11 May, Indian Army chief General Manoj Pande visited the Medium Maintenance (Reset) Facility in Ladakh. In an official tweet, the Army said the “unique maintenance facility” promotes enhanced serviceability and mission reliability of Armoured Fighting Vehicles and “keeps the Combat Fleet operationally ready even in rugged terrain and challenging weather with temperature dipping down to minus 40 degrees”.
The areas where the repair centres have been set up are also important. Daulat Beg Oldie (DBO) is in the south of Karakoram Pass, with Siachen on its west and Aksai Chin – occupied illegally by
China
– on its east.
DBO is closer to the strategic area of the Depsang Plains which is at an altitude of 16,000 feet.Tanks such as T-90s, T-72s and BMP II Armoured Vehicles have reportedly been deployed in the region.
Speaking to NDTV, Lt General Amit Sharma (Retired), former chief of India’s nuclear command, said, “Tank is the only piece of equipment that will enable the infantry to move and capture the objective. Tanks provide staying part to the enemy to defend it.”
The other tank repair facility is in Nyoma. India plans to upgrade its Nyoma airfield in eastern Ladakh, just 50 km from the LAC, to facilitate fighter jet operations. A 2.7-km runway at the Nyoma airbase is expected to be completed by October this year.
This assumes all the more importance as stalemate between India and China over Demchok in eastern Ladakh and Depsang in the north continues.
In case of a conflict, the repair facilities will ensure quick maintenance of tanks at high altitudes and their rapid deployment, noted NDTV.
With inputs from agencies
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Why Army’s new tank repair centres in Ladakh are a big boost for India
