Rajnath Singh lays foundation for Rs 472-crore tank overhaul facility in Jabalpur

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh laid the foundation stone for a Rs 472-crore T-series tank overhaul facility in Jabalpur, stressing that tanks remain vital in modern warfare. The facility will overhaul 80 T-72 and T-90 tanks annually and strengthen domestic defence manufacturing

Jabalpur: Calling main battle tanks an “iron wall” on the country’s borders, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday laid the foundation stone for a Rs 472-crore T-series tank overhaul facility in Jabalpur, a key move to position India as a global defence manufacturing hub.

He said that although the nature of warfare is changing with the advent of drones, precision-guided weapons, missiles, satellites, artificial intelligence and cyber warfare, the relevance of tanks has not diminished but evolved.

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Singh also said that nations with resilient supply chains, strong industrial capacity and ability to innovate rapidly would be better equipped to withstand prolonged conflicts, he said in the backdrop of the more than four-year-old Russia-Ukraine war.

He made the remarks after laying the foundation stone of the facility at the 57-year-old Vehicle Factory Jabalpur (VFJ), an ordnance unit here. “Our Army is one of the most powerful forces in the world. T-72 and T-90 tanks are extremely important for ground warfare. They stand like an iron wall on our borders, act as a death knell for the enemy, and boost the morale of our soldiers,” Singh said after performing the ‘bhoomi pujan’ alongside Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Dr Mohan Yadav. “We need drones, missiles, artillery, electronic warfare systems and modern tanks. Our soldiers should have both tanks and drones, with effective coordination between the two,” he said.

The upcoming facility in Jabalpur would further strengthen India’s capabilities in this direction, Singh added. New technologies were constantly emerging in the defence sector and battles could no longer be won using conventional methods alone, the defence minister said.

In the age of drones and missiles, some may question the relevance of tanks, he said, adding that he held a different view. “The character of warfare has changed, but that does not mean tanks have lost their relevance. Drones and missiles are important, but tanks continue to have a role. What is needed is not reliance on a single platform, but a combined capability,” Singh said.

Every weapon system has its own strengths, he said. “The strength of a tank lies in its mobility and firepower. The need today is not to eliminate tanks, but to modernise them. This is not a battle of one weapon against another; it is a battle involving the entire combat system. There is a need to equip our tanks with superior sensors and capabilities aligned with modern battlefield requirements,” Singh said

He said tanks, like other military equipment, require regular maintenance and periodic overhauling to ensure their operational readiness.

Under the upcoming project, the facility will overhaul 80 T-72 and T-90 tanks annually, Singh said. The Indian Army requires the overhaul of around 230 such tanks every year, according to him.

The Heavy Vehicles Factory (HVF) at Avadi (Tamil Nadu) currently overhauls around 150 tanks annually, and the new facility at VFJ will bridge the remaining shortfall, the defence minister said.

The minister said the Centre was committed to ensuring that India’s armed forces were not dependent on foreign supply chains for critical defence requirements.

“Our aim is to manufacture defence equipment domestically, undertake repair and maintenance within the country, upgrade existing systems with modern technologies, and develop next-generation capabilities indigenously,” Singh maintained.

He said these efforts reflected India’s emergence as a global manufacturing hub, a reliable technology partner and a trusted defence partner.

Highlighting the changing nature of warfare, he noted countries possessing advanced technologies, resilient supply chains, robust industrial capabilities and dynamic innovation ecosystems would be in a stronger position to sustain themselves during long-drawn conflicts.

Singh said the T-series tank overhaul facility would help build a resilient domestic supply chain by generating demand for a wide range of mechanical, electrical, electronic and hydraulic components, assemblies and subsystems.

“The sourcing of these items would create opportunities for local MSMEs in manufacturing and ancillary services associated with tank overhauling, while helping develop a strong and self-sustaining industrial ecosystem,” he stated.

The project would prove to be a boon for soldiers and generate employment opportunities in Jabalpur and surrounding areas, including for workers, youth, small entrepreneurs and other sections of the local population, Singh said.

“Domestic defence (arms and ammunition) production, which stood at Rs 46,000 crore in 2014, has now reached approximately Rs 1.80 lakh crore. Similarly, defence exports have increased from around Rs 1,000 crore in 2014 to nearly Rs 39,000 crore,” he noted.

The government has set a target of achieving defence exports worth Rs 50,000 crore by 2028-29, the defence minister said. “India’s defence sector has now taken firm steps towards complete self-reliance. The world’s perception of India is changing, and the vision of Aatmanirbhar Bharat is behind this transformation,” Singh said.

The new project would further strengthen Jabalpur’s identity as a major hub for defence technology, maintenance, modernisation and manufacturing, he stressed. VFJ, where the tank overhaul facility is coming up, is a premier military vehicle manufacturing unit operating under Armoured Vehicles Nigam Limited (AVNL).