Tackling Maintenance Issues In Ladakh: India Sets Up Two Tank Repair Facilities Opposite China Border

The Indian and Chinese troops are facing off in the brutal weather of the Himalayas for the fifth straight year.

After the clash at Galwan Valley in June 2020, which killed 20 Indian soldiers and an unknown number of Chinese ones, India mirror deployed thousands of troops opposite the China border.

This includes inducting some 500 tanks in the high-altitude cold desert.

However, the extremely cold temperatures of -25° to -30°, and the rarefied atmosphere at such high altitudes of more than 16,000 feet, have an adverse impact on the functioning of the tanks.

Various oils and lubricants responsible for the proper functioning of the tanks freeze in those cold temperatures. Due to the lack of oxygen, the tank engines do not produce enough power, forcing the engine to work harder to achieve the required acceleration and mobility.

This puts a lot of toll on the machinery of the tank, which could lead to frequent breakdowns if not serviced regularly, and, standard operating procedures not followed to the letter.

Any tank or armoured vehicle that breaks down has to be brought to the plains for maintenance.

Bringing down these armoured vehicles, each weighing more than 20 tonnes, and, more than 40 tonnes in the case of tanks, and then bringing their replacements up to the mountains, is a task of its own and requires considerable resources.

To address this, the Indian Army has opened two maintenance and repair facilities for these tanks in Ladakh, close to the Line of Actual Control (LAC).

The first repair facility has been opened in the Daulat Beg Oldie (DBO) sector. The second facility is at Nyoma, where a new 2,700-metre long airstrip is coming up.

These two facilities will allow local maintenance and servicing of tanks and other armoured vehicles, increasing the serviceability of the tanks.