India's Cold Start Doctrine: How Elite T-90MS and Soon T-14 Tanks Could Spearhead an Armoured Thrust into Pakistan

The Indian Army is in the process of deploying 460 new T-90SM battle tanks along the country’s Western border with Pakistan, with Delhi continuing to place large orders for the state of the art military hardware from Russia to modernise its ground forces. India’s armoured divisions, which deploy large number of T-72 and T-90 tanks, are among the most capable in the world and are one of the Indian military’s most formidable strengths. The T-90SM represents the most capable battle tank in the Indian arsenal at present and is one of the most capable tanks available for export anywhere in the world. The platforms are equipped with new thermal imaging sights, a new 1,130 hp engine, a PNM Sosna-U gunner view and new Relikt explosive reactive armour, which all serve to seriously enhance its survivability. The new tanks are also equipped with four video cameras to provide a circular view, and have a much longer nighttime detection range than older T-90 variants in Indian service. 

The T-90SM represents a considerably superior platform to anything currently in the Pakistani arsenal, and even he modern VT-4 tanks it is expected to receive from China will struggle to match some aspects of the T-90's performance. The elite Russian battle tanks have thus been designated a key role in India’s Cold Start doctrine, which stipulates that the Indian Army will carry out a rapid conventional assault on Pakistani territory before either Pakistani nuclear retaliation or international intervention. Battle tanks, and the elite T-90SM in particular, will play a key role in spearheading such an assault aimed at taking key military sites and pushing deep into Pakistan within 72 hours. The battle tanks form the backbone of three Indian ‘Strike Corps,’ each of which will be comprised of one infantry division with approximately 450 modern tanks.

The considerably superior performance of Indian T-90MS tanks relative to their counterparts in Pakistani armoured divisions has long been considered key to the successful implementation of Cold Start, although this qualitative edge may be blunted as Pakistan begins to field an elite of VT-4 tanks in larger numbers. India's interest in acquiring yet more capable armour, namely Russian T-14 Armata tanks, are thought to be motivated by the need to maintain its advantage on the ground, and if purchased the T-14s will likely be assigned to Strike Corps on the Pakistani border alongside the T-90MS. The T-14 has the potential to provide Indian armoured divisions with an even more capable platform well in advance of anything in Chinese or Pakistani hands, and is unmatched by foreign designs in many parameters such as firepower and armour protection. India’s acquisition of the T-14 will thus likely be largely influenced by how widely Pakistan deploys the VT-4, and potentially other advanced Chinese designs, and the extent to which the Indian Army believes this undermines its advantage if using the T-90MS. Alongside the South Korean K2 Black Panther, the T-14 is considered one of the most capable tanks in the world.