India successfully tests 125-millimetre Mango shells for T-72, T-90 tanks

A T-90 Bhishma Main Battle Tank of the Indian Army during an exercise in the western sector. Photo Credit: Indian Army website

New Delhi: India has successfully tested and started the production of Russian 125-millimetre Mango tank shells. The Mango shells are being produced in India under licence from Russian armament major Techmash and the first batch has been cleared for use by Army's T-72 Ajeya and T-90 Bhishma Main Battle Tanks after the mandatory tests.

"The first shells produced in India passed check test with positive results. The Indian manufacturer is already testing and supplying Mango shots under its brand. Personnel training to produce Mango shells, as well the implementation of a comprehensive audit of the readiness and equipment of production, certification of employees, were also included in the contract works," Techmash told Russian news website Sputnik.

Techmash has been training the Indian partner and also installing the necessary machinery required to produce the tank shells since early 2017. Sputnik had in December 2017 quoted Russian Mechanical Engineering Research Institute Acting General Director Alexander Gorduhin as saying that the almost 2,00,000 tank shells will be manufactured.

These shells are 125 mm round with an armor-piercing sub-caliber round for use with the T-72 and T-90 tanks in service with the Indian Army. Known as 3VBM17/3BM42 (3BM44 Mango), the shells entered service with Russian military in 1986 and uses a tungsten alloy core sheathed in steel as the projectile to pierce the armour of the enemy tanks and armoured personnel carriers.

India had on Augist 19, 2018, successfully test-fired its indigenously developed HeliNa anti-tank missile at the Pokhran Range in Rajasthan. The HeliNa stands for Helicopter-launched Nag, and is a variant of the land-launched Nag anti-tank guided missile.

"The weapon system has been tested for its full range. The 'HELINA' weapon system released smoothly from the launch platform has tracked the target all through its course and hit the target with high precision. All the parameters have been monitored by the telemetry stations, tracking systems and the Helicopters," read a statement from the Ministry of Defence on the tests.