Indian Army Armoured Corps#Centre and School
{{short description|Armoured warfare arm of the Indian Army}}
{{use Indian English|date=May 2014}}
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{{Infobox military unit
|unit_name= Indian Army Armoured Corps
|image=100px
Symbol of Indian Armoured Corps
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|dates= 1941 - Present
|country={{flag|India}}
|allegiance=
|branch= {{army|India}}
|role=Armoured Corps
}}
The Indian Army Armoured Corps is one of the combat arms of the Indian Army. Tracing its origins from the first regiment formed in 1776, the present corps was formed in 1947 from two-thirds of the personnel and assets of the British Indian Army's Indian Armoured Corps. It currently consists of 67 armoured regiments, including the President's Bodyguard.
Centre and School
The Armoured Corps Centre and School (ACC&S) is located in Ahmednagar (now Ahilya Nagar), Maharashtra. In 1921, six Armoured Car companies arrived and in 1924 the Royal Tank Corps School was established at Ahmednagar to train the personnel of the Royal Tank Corps. This school was the forerunner of the Fighting Vehicle School, which began to impart driving & maintenance training. The Fighting Vehicle School along with the Machine Gun School, the training regiments, the recruit training centre, Armoured Corps Depot and Armoured Corps Records were amalgamated to form the present school and centre in 1948.{{cite web|url=http://164.100.185.107/html_docs/AhmednagarCity.htm|title=Ahmednagar District|date=|access-date=2021-02-07}}
Armour Day
The Armoured Corps of Indian Army celebrates 'Armour Day' on 1 May. It was on this day in 1938 that Scinde Horse became the first regiment to dismount from their horses and move to tanks.{{cite web|url=https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/pune/armoured-corps-centre-school-ahmednagar-celebrate-78th-armour-day-2783170/|title=Armoured Corps Centre & School, Ahmednagar celebrate 78th Armour Day|date=2016-05-04|access-date=2021-02-07}} The first equipment inducted were Vickers Light Tanks and Chevrolet Armoured Cars.{{cite web|url=http://www.sainiksamachar.nic.in/englisharchives/2019/may01-19/h9.htm|title=Armoured Corps Centre and School Celebrates Armoured Corps Day|date=2019-05-01|access-date=2021-02-07}}
Naming Convention of the Armoured Regiments
The naming of the regiments reflects its historical origins. The terms Cavalry, Horse and Lancers, which have been dispensed with in the case of units raised post-independence, are historical legacies from the raising and renaming of these units when part of the East India Company's army and/or later the British Indian Army.{{citation needed|date=October 2021}}
Composition of an Armoured Regiment
An armoured corps regiment is commanded by a Colonel ranked officer, who is known as the Commandant of the Unit. An armoured regiment comprises 3 Sabre Squadrons and a Headquarter Squadron. Each squadron is commanded by a Major ranked officer. He holds the appointment of a Squadron Commander.{{cite web|url=https://news.abplive.com/news/india/know-the-indian-army-a-glance-into-the-armoured-corps-regiments-1278359|title=Know The Indian Army: Hailed As 'King Of Battlefield', The Armoured Corps Packs A Punch With Lethal Tank Fire|date=2020-06-06|access-date=2021-02-07}}
An Armoured Regiment has around 45 to 50 tanks in all. Each Sabre Squadron consists of 14-15 tanks and one Armoured Recovery Vehicle. 3 tanks are assigned to the Headquarter Squadron, including that of the commandant.{{cite web|url=https://www.bharat-rakshak.com/ARMY/units/3-armoured-regiment-toe.html|title=Armoured Regiment Structure|date=2016-10-12|access-date=2021-02-07}} Each squadron consists of four troops, each consisting of 3 tanks.{{cite web|url=https://theprint.in/opinion/strike-corps-reorientation-comes-for-ladakh-but-army-needs-larger-restructuring/584936/|title=Strike Corps reorientation comes for Ladakh but Army needs larger restructuring|date=2021-01-14|access-date=2021-06-21}}
Black Beret
The officers and troops of Armoured Corps regiments wear the Black Berets as opposed to the rifle green and blue coloured berets which are worn by the regiments of other arms and services respectively. The Black Beret gives the Tankman a distinct identity of their own within the Army fold.
Equipment
The Armoured Corps of the Indian Army is currently equipped with the following tanks-
- Arjun MBT – Mk.1 variant in use and Mk.1A under order.
- T-90 – M and S variants with DRDO made upgrades.
- T-72 – M1 variant with upgrades namely Ajeya MK1/MK2 and Combat Improved Ajeya.
File:Arjun MK1.webm|Arjun MK1 firing on the move at Pokaran Field Firing Range.
File:Indian Armoured Corps in the Middle East 1944.jpg|Indian Armoured Corps in a Sherman III tank in the Middle East, March 1944.
File:The War in the Far East- the Burma Campaign 1941-1945 IND4650.jpg|A Sherman tank of the Indian Armoured Corps on the road to Rangoon, Burma Campaign.
File:Vijayanta Vickers MBT. (49141256562).jpg|The Vijayanta - main battle tank of the Indian Army between 1965 and the early 2000s.
File:Indian Army Armoured Corps.jpg|Tanks of the Indian Army Armoured Corps and BMP-2 IFVs during a training exercise in 2006.
File:Arjun MK1A field trials.jpg|MBT Arjun MK1A
File:Arjun MBT bump track test.JPG|MBT Arjun MK1
File:Indian Army T-90.jpg| T-90 tank
File:Indian Army T-72 image1.jpg| T-72 tank
File:Armoured Corps Centre and School.jpg|right|Armoured Corps Centre and School, Ahmednagar
List of regiments
The list of regiments forming part of the Armoured Corps of the Indian Army is as follows. This list is as per unit serial number but not as per the order of precedence of the Indian Army. In that list, The President's Bodyguard is first, but is followed by 16 Light Cavalry, 7 Light Cavalry, 8 Cavalry and 1st Horse. As a matter of tradition, each Armoured Regiment has its own "Colonel of the Regiment", an honorary post for a senior officer who oversees the regimental issues concerning the unit.{{cite web|url=https://www.dnaindia.com/india/report-armoured-corps-of-indian-army-celebrates-its-82nd-armour-day-gen-mm-naravane-extends-wishes-2823247|title=Armoured Corps of Indian Army celebrates its 82nd Armour Day; Gen MM Naravane extends wishes|date=2020-05-01|access-date=2021-02-07}}
Notes
{{Reflist}}
Further reading
- Cavalry Officers Association [2000]. Valour Honour Tradition (Vignettes of the Indian Armored Corps 1773 - 2000. Director General Mechanized Forces, Sena Bhawan, New Delhi 110001.
- Maj Gen Gurchan Singh Sandhu, PVSM (1987). The Indian Armour- History of the Indian Armoured Corps : 1941 - 1971. Vision Books (incorporating Orient Paperbacks), New Delhi. {{ISBN|81-7094-004-4}}.
- Ashok Nath (2009). Izzat: Historical Records and Iconography of Indian Cavalry Regiments, 1750 - 2007. Centre for Armed Forces Historical Research, United Services Institution of India, New Delhi.
External links
- [https://indianarmy.nic.in/Site/FormTemplete/frmTempSimple.aspx?MnId=fmngqz4GqE+zrSNeG3hihg==&ParentID=Lm/2mT6BRBn93ubJeuly/Q==&flag=8CKP966uzg96kLov0aWdfQ== Army official website]
- [https://www.bharat-rakshak.com/ARMY/units/3-armoured-regiment-toe.html Structure of an Armoured Regiment]
{{Indian_Army_Arms_and_Services}}
{{Indian Army Armoured Corps |state=expanded}}
Category:Administrative corps of the Indian Army
Category:Nationstate armoured warfare branches