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New Delhi: Indian Army has set up two of the world’s highest tank repair facilities to support its operations in Himalayas. The development has come amid fourth year of bilateral friction with China along the Line of Actual Control (LAC). Over 500 tanks and infantry combat vehicles have been deployed in Eastern Ladakh.
The two armoured vehicle maintenance and repair facilities have been set up near the Line of Actual Control (LAC) with China in Nyoma and Daulat Beg Oldi (DBO) sectors. These sectors are located as high as 14,500 feet above the sea level, making it the highest battlefield for tanks and infantry combat vehicles along the Line of Actual Control in eastern Ladakh.
A large number of tanks and BMP combat vehicles as well as Indian-made armoured vehicles like the Quick Reaction Fighting Vehicles, have been deployed in Eastern Ladakh after the stand-off between India and China in April-May 2020.
“The tanks and infantry combat vehicles have been deployed in these super-high-altitude areas, where it is very difficult even to get them back for maintenance and repair,” Indian Army officials told news agency ANI.
“To help sustain the armoured vehicle operations in the region, we have set up these Medium Maintenance (Reset) Facilities at Nyoma and near KM-148 on the DS-DBO Road in the DBO sector. These are the two main areas where tank and ICV operations are focussed in the eastern Ladakh sector,” they added.
The facilities have been built to keep the combat fleet operationally ready in the rugged Himalayan terrain and challenging weather with temperatures dipping to minus 40 degrees.
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