ENGINEERING VEHICLES

Comments: The Indian military bridging program, is notable for several reasons. One is that it is in every sense a program & not just a series of isolated projects carried out simultaneously. Almost every aspect of military bridging is being tackled, from assault bridging to lines of communication structures, bringing an opportunity to make maximum use of common components, materials, operating methods and other cost-saving measures. It is also interesting to note that not just bridging is included. Also involved in the program is an Armoured Amphibious Dozer & an Engineer Reconnaissance Vehicle (both based on the locally built BMP-2 Infantry Combat Vehicle chassis). Both are still comparative rarities elsewhere as few armies seem to take the trouble to procure such specialised vehicles.

Looking through the list of the new Indian bridges contained in this table, it is apparent that considerable trouble has been taken by the Indian design authorities to make in-depth studies of other existing bridging designs and methods from elsewhere. Not surprisingly, some of the designs in the program bear close resemblance to others already in service in both the Eastern and the Western blocs. This is yet another example of military bridging designs being, like so much in the defence field, very much an evolutionary rather than a revolutionary process.

One further aspect of the Indian bridging program is the involvement of industrial concerns in the design, development and learning curve relating to the program. From the earliest stages of the program those expected to manufacture the final products have been involved at every stage of the development process. Once again, the cost-effectiveness advantages of such a process are many but it makes an interesting aside to consider that such a course of action is open only to a highly centralised defence infrastructure. The usual round of tenders and costly in-house developments associated with the now common place procurement programs carried out by most open market nations, especially in the United Kingdom and United States, could find no place in the Indian program.

The Indian bridging program is one part of a national policy to make the Indian Armed Forces fully dependant on their own resources for future defence material acquisitions. This is a process which has been under way for some years but such is the pace of progress on the subcontinent, only now are the results becoming apparent. As the Indian Armed Forces come equipped with their own local produce, the world's defence markets will notice the difference, as more Indian material becomes available for export sales. On the other side of the coin, India, once an important defence market for many, will become more difficult for foreign defence manufacturers to penetrate.