Platform profile · India · Licence-produced main battle tank · Indian Army
T-90S and T-90IM Bhishma Main Battle Tank
OngoingDefence Blog reported that AVNL delivered the 1,000th India-manufactured T-90IM Bhishma on 22 May 2026.
Defence Blog reported that AVNL delivered the 1,000th India-manufactured T-90IM Bhishma to the Indian Army from Heavy Vehicles Factory at Avadi on 22 May 2026. One month earlier, the Ministry of Defence signed approximately ₹975 crore of contracts for DRDO-developed TRAWL assemblies shared by the T-90 and T-72 fleets. On 13 November 2025, the ministry and BDL signed a Rs 2,095.70 crore contract for INVAR laser-guided anti-tank missiles to increase T-90 firepower. The Defence Acquisition Council had also approved a move from the T-90's current 1,000 hp engine to a 1,350 hp engine on 20 March 2025 to improve high-altitude mobility. AVNL confirmed delivery of the first 10 newly produced T-90 Mk-III tanks in June 2024 under the Army's 464-tank contract, extending a programme launched by the 310-tank India-Russia contract of 15 February 2001 and a local-production line whose first ten fully licence-built tanks were reported delivered in 2009. The T-90 matters because it is a central Indian Army tank fleet whose local production, overhaul and subsystem upgrades anchor a large domestic heavy-armour supply chain.
Updated 22 May 2026
Verified figures
Specifications
| Specification | Value |
|---|---|
| Combat weight | 46.5 tonnes ↗ |
| Crew | 3 ↗ |
| Dimensions (length x width x height) | 9.530 x 3.780 x 2.865 m ↗ |
| Maximum road speed | 60 km/h ↗ |
| Engine power | 1,000 hp ↗ |
| Power-to-weight ratio | 21.5 hp/tonne ↗ |
| Fording | 1.8 m shallow; 5 m with snorkel ↗ |
| Vertical obstacle | 0.85 m ↗ |
| Trench crossing | 2.6-2.8 m ↗ |
| Main gun | 125 mm smoothbore gun ↗ |
| Main-gun rate of fire | 8 rounds/minute ↗ |
| Main-gun ammunition | 42 rounds; guided missile, FSAPDS, HEAT and HE ↗ |
Spec sources: avnl.co.in ↗
Changelog
Program timeline
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Defence Blog reported that AVNL delivered the 1,000th T-90IM Bhishma manufactured in India to the Indian Army from Heavy Vehicles Factory at Avadi near Chennai.
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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.
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The Ministry of Defence and Bharat Dynamics Limited signed a Rs 2,095.70 crore Buy (Indian) contract at South Block, New Delhi, for INVAR laser-guided anti-tank missiles to increase the firepower and lethality of T-90 tanks.
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Armoured Vehicles Nigam Limited announced Indian Army contracts totalling Rs 2,565.46 crore that included overhaul of 40 T-90 tanks and 100 BMP-II infantry combat vehicles.
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The Defence Acquisition Council accorded Acceptance of Necessity for 1,350 hp engines to replace the T-90 fleet's 1,000 hp engines and improve power-to-weight ratio and high-altitude mobility.
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The Indian Army issued a request for information for a modular active-protection system for T-90S and T-90SK tanks, requiring hard-kill, soft-kill and counter-uncrewed-aircraft capabilities.
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Akashvani reported that the Indian Army had rolled out its first overhauled T-90 Bhishma from 505 Army Base Workshop in Delhi Cantonment.
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An AVNL official confirmed delivery of the first batch of 10 newly produced T-90 Mk-III tanks under the Indian Army's November 2019 contract for 464 tanks; AVNL said the remaining 454 would follow over five years.
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The Ministry of Defence signed a Rs 1,075 crore contract with Bharat Electronics Limited for 957 Commander Thermal Imager cum Day Sights for T-90 tanks.
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The Ministry of Defence disclosed that an indent had been placed in November 2019 on the Ordnance Factory Board for 464 T-90S/SK tanks worth Rs 19,100 crore.
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Rediff reported that Heavy Vehicles Factory at Avadi handed the Indian Army the first batch of 10 T-90 tanks manufactured in India under Russian licence.
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India and Russia signed a contract in New Delhi for 310 T-90 tanks: 124 were to arrive complete from Russia and 186 were to be assembled in India.
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