Weapons

BLT - T-72

BLT mounted on a T-72 tank chassis

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Crew: A team of 3 personnel, including the driver, with complete NBC protection.

Length & Width: 22 metres span and 4 metres wide, with each track way 1.64 metres wide.

Material: Light weight, high strength, weldable, self-ageing, aluminium zinc-magnesium alloy (RDE-40).

Bridge Weight: 8800 kg (19,404 lbs).

Launching: Electro Hydraulic (high pressure) scissoring type of launch.

Launch Time: Approximately 3 to 5 minutes, using either manual or automatic launch.

Modes of Launch: Manual, electro-mechanical and automatic.

Armament: Space is limited aboard the vehicle and thus the only armament on-board are the crew's personal weapons, a machine gun for air defence and a multi-barrel smoke discharger. The vehicle has the option of fitting a KMT-6 mine plough in the front.

Comments: DRDO's Bridge Layer Tank (BLT) provides capabilities to negotiate natural and man-made anti-tank obstacles to an advancing tank column. It can lay its bridge instantly and recover the same from the far bank, after the entire tank column has crossed over. Capability exists to base it on any other tank of West or East European origin. The BLT can lay two types of bridge, i.e. a 20m scissors bridge with an MLC 60 load classification and a 22m scissors bridge, with an MLC 70 load classification. As per the 2002-03 report published by the Ministry of Defence, the first limited series production (LSP) order of twelve vehicles, mounted on a T-72 tank chassis, was placed by the Indian Army and six of these vehicles were ready for delivery. Currently under development is a variable span bridge, capable of bridging gaps from 10 to 22 meters, also based on the T-72 tank chassis.