Sarath BMP-II | Armoured Core | Indian Army | Indian Defence Forces
The Sarath is identical to the BMP-2 covered in detail in a separate entry and is fitted with a two-person turret. It is armed with a 30 mm 2A42 dual-feed cannon, a 7.62 mm PKT coaxial machine gun and a roof-mounted Russian Tula 9K113 Konkurs (NATO AT-5 'Spandrel') ATGW launcher with a maximum range of 4,000 m. This missile is manufactured in India by BDL (Bharat Dynamics Limited).
Since production of the BMP-2 commenced in India, a number of improvements have been incorporated including new radios and modified 30 mm cannon stabiliser.
The Ordnance Factory Medak is responsible for the fabrication of the hull and turret, final assembly and testing as well as manufacturing the torsion bar suspension system, engine and driver's compartment bulkheads, 30 mm and 7.62 mm ammunition storage and feeding systems, the fuel system and missile launcher and missile control system.
Other companies and facilities involved in the programme include the Ordnance Factory Trichy for the 30 mm 2A42 cannon, MTPF Ambarnath for the turret traversing and elevating mechanism and part of the missile launcher, Gun Carriage Factory Jabalpur for main gun mount and 81 mm smoke grenade launchers; OLF Deharadun, day and night vision devices and the gunsight; BEML KGF for transmission and final drives, BELTEX Madras for 30 mm cannon gun stabiliser and electrical cables; and BDL Medak for the missile and launcher.
It is estimated that by mid-2007, total production of the BMP-2 in India amounted to about 1,250 vehicles and these serve alongside about 700 (although some sources have quoted a lower figure of 350) BMP-1 infantry fighting vehicles.
Akash SAM
This uses a modified and stretched BMP-2 chassis with seven roadwheels each side compared to the six of the standard vehicle. Mounted on the roof of the vehicle is a rotatable launcher with three Akash surface-to-air missiles (SAM) in the ready to launch position.
The associated multifunction 3-D phased radar used with the Akash SAM system also has the stretched chassis with seven roadwheels, as does the associated command post vehicle. Both these feature a raised superstructure. This system has yet to enter quantity production.
Additional details of this system are given in Jane's Land-Based Air Defence.
Trishul SAM
The chassis of the Sarath has been modified to launch the Trishul SAM, with three missiles being carried in the ready to launch position, search and track radars and their associated fire-control system.
In addition, there is a mobile command post with a raised superstructure, which is the nerve centre of the missiles' command, control, communications and intelligence functions. This system has yet to enter quantity production.
Additional details of this system are give in Jane's Land-Based Air Defence.
Nag ATGW vehicle
The Indian Army is to deploy a new self-propelled anti-tank missile system called Namica, which is based on the locally manufactured Sarath tracked infantry combat vehicle chassis.
The Namica is armed with the locally designed and manufactured Nag (Cobra) anti-tank guided weapon (ATGW) that has been under development for some years by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).
A total of four Nag ATGWs are carried in the ready-to-launch position, with additional missiles being stowed inside. These can be reloaded from within the vehicle under full armour protection.
Nag weighs 42 kg at launch, has a range of more than 4,000 m and is of the fire-and-forget type. A tandem High-Explosive Anti-Tank (HEAT) warhead is fitted to counter Main Battle Tanks (MBTs) fitted with explosive reactive armour (ERA).
Three different seekers have been developed for Nag, Charge Coupled Device (CCD) based day version, Mercury Cadmium Telluride (MCT) Focal Plane Array sensor-based Imaging Infra Red and Millimetric Wave (MMW) active radar seeker for all-weather target engagement. It uses the Lock On Before Launch (LOBL) concept. The version with the CCD seeker is expected to be the first version of Nag to enter production.
As well as being launched from the Namica, Nag will also be launched from a standard ground firing post and the Advanced Light Helicopter, which will have eight missiles in the ready to launch position. As of mid-2007, it is understood that quantity production of the Nag had yet to commence.
Status
In production. In service with the Indian Army. As far as is known, India has not exported any of its locally built BMP-2 vehicles or variants based on this chassis. In the longer term the Sarath IFV will be supplemented by the Abhay IFV currently under development.
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