Platform profile · India · Upgraded licence-produced main battle tank · Indian Army
T-72M1 Ajeya and Combat Improved Ajeya Main Battle Tank
OngoingThe Ministry of Defence signed approximately ₹975 crore of T-72/T-90 TRAWL-assembly contracts on 21 April 2026.
On 21 April 2026, the Ministry of Defence signed approximately ₹975 crore of contracts for DRDO-developed TRAWL assemblies shared by the T-72 and T-90 fleets. On 12 February, the Defence Acquisition Council approved overhaul of T-72 vehicle platforms to extend service life, two weeks after AVNL flagged off the first two T-72s overhauled under its Vehicle Factory Jabalpur pilot. On October 27, 2025, Tata Advanced Systems said its 12.7 mm NSVT remote-controlled weapon station was installed on Indian Army T-72 tanks, confirming a fit first sighted in Sikkim that May. The Ministry of Defence signed a $248 million Russian contract on 7 March 2025 for 1,000 hp engines, kits and technology transfer to replace the fleet's existing 780 hp powerpack, after ordering 47 T-72 bridge-laying tanks for Rs 1,560.52 crore that January. The T-72 matters because these mobility, protection-support and overhaul investments keep one of the Army's largest armoured fleets usable while its eventual replacement is developed.
Updated 21 Apr 2026
Verified figures
Specifications
| Specification | Value |
|---|---|
| Variant basis | Combat Improved Ajeya T-72 ↗ |
| Combat weight | 43 tonnes ↗ |
| Crew | 3 ↗ |
| Dimensions (length x width x height) | 9.530 x 3.590 x 2.190 m ↗ |
| Maximum road speed | 60 km/h ↗ |
| Engine power | 780 hp ↗ |
| Power-to-weight ratio | 18.1-19 hp/tonne; calculated from AVNL's 780 hp and 43-tonne figures versus its listed 19 hp/tonne ↗ |
| Fording with snorkel | 5 m ↗ |
| Obstacle and trench crossing | 0.85 m vertical obstacle; 2.8 m trench ↗ |
| Main gun | 125 mm D-81 smoothbore gun ↗ |
| Main-gun rate of fire | 8 rounds/minute ↗ |
| Main-gun ammunition | 44 rounds; 22 in the automatic-loading carousel; FSAPDS, HEAT and HE ↗ |
Spec sources: avnl.co.in ↗
Changelog
Program timeline
-
The Ministry of Defence signed approximately ₹975 crore of contracts with BEML and Electro Pneumatics and Hydraulics for DRDO-developed TRAWL assemblies for T-72 and T-90 tanks to create vehicle-safe lanes through minefields.
-
The Economic Times reported completion of an Indian thermal-imaging fire-control-system upgrade on 96 T-72 tanks after firing validation, under a contract signed in 2023.
-
The Defence Acquisition Council granted Acceptance of Necessity for overhaul of T-72 vehicle platforms, alongside armoured recovery vehicles and BMP-II platforms, to extend service life and sustain Army readiness.
-
AVNL flagged off the first two T-72 tanks overhauled under a pilot project at Vehicle Factory Jabalpur, expanding overhaul capacity beyond Heavy Vehicles Factory at Avadi.
-
Tata Advanced Systems said its 12.7 mm NSVT remote-controlled weapon station, recognised with an SIDM Champion Award, was installed on Indian Army T-72 tanks.
-
The Indian Army rolled out a pilot-overhauled VT-72B armoured recovery vehicle at 512 Army Base Workshop, Pune, under Project Lotus.
-
A Trishakti Corps image showed a T-72M1 Ajeya at a forward post in northern Sikkim fitted with a Tata remote-controlled weapon station carrying a 12.7 mm NSVT machine gun; Janes assessed this as the first confirmed sighting on a T-72.
-
The Ministry of Defence signed a $248 million contract with Rosoboronexport for 1,000 hp T-72 engines in fully formed, completely knocked-down and semi-knocked-down conditions, plus technology transfer to AVNL for integration and licensed production at Avadi.
-
The Ministry of Defence signed a Rs 1,560.52 crore contract with Heavy Vehicles Factory, AVNL, for 47 T-72 bridge-laying tanks to provide integral bridging capability to the Army's tank and armoured-vehicle fleet.
-
The Ministry of Defence and BEL signed a portfolio of 10 contracts worth ₹5,498 crore in total; the Army element included a DRDO-designed Instant Fire Detection and Suppression System for T-72 tanks to be produced by BEL Kotdwara.
-
AVNL reported T-72 indigenisation at 96% at the end of FY2021-22 and recorded an ongoing project to uprate its 780 hp engine.
-
Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman handed the Army documents for fully indigenised V-46-6 T-72 Ajeya engines at Engine Factory Avadi; officials said local content had risen from about 73% to 100%.
0 tagged stories
Coverage
No tagged stories yet — coverage lands here automatically.