The Indian Army has installed a key Thermal Imaging Fire Control System (TIFCS), an Indo-Israeli technology, on 96 of its T-72 main battle tanks, boosting its night operations.
The TIFCS, developed in Bengaluru, had cleared the rig validation trials before being installed on the T-72 tanks, the Indian Army’s main armoured warfare systems.
The TIFCS would extend the T-72 operational relevance during low-visibility night operations. These tanks previously had an older optical system that limited their night-time war-fighting ability.
Indian private firm Alpha-Elsec Defence and Aerospace Systems Private Limited, a joint venture between Bengaluru-based Alpha Design and Israel’s Elbit Systems, upgraded the T-72 tanks with the TIFCS. The joint venture signed the TIFCS supply and installation contract for the 96 T-72 tanks with the Army in 2023.
“Earlier, similar systems were supplied directly by the Israeli partner. Under the current arrangement, the systems have been manufactured in India with technical support from Elbit Systems, aligning with the governmentʼs Make-in-India programme and the push for defence indigenisation,” an Alpha Design representative was quoted as saying by an Indian media platform.
The TIFCS automatically acquires inputs from external sensors, does ballistic corrections, and feeds corrected target data into the system. An integrated automatic target tracker (ATT) enables continuous tracking of moving targets, allowing engagement in dynamic conditions, including at night.
The Alpha Design representative said the Army conducted the ring validation trials of the indigenously manufactured systems in November and December of 2025, after which the TIFCS were installed on the T-72s.
“Alpha-Elsec, as an MSME with a workforce of around 120 highly skilled professionals, has been making steady and significant progress in the manufacture of advanced opto-electronic equipment for the Indian armed forces,” the company CEO, Nataraj Krishnappa, said.
“A substantial number of our products are also exported to our JV partner, which further supplies them to customers worldwide,” he said.
After installing the TIFCS on the T-72s, the company has witnessed an increase in its order book for indigenous defence systems to be supplied to the armed forces.
Alpha-Elsec focuses on manufacturing, integrating, and lifecycle support of electro-optic and fire control systems for defence applications. Beyond Army platforms, its electro-optic products are also used by paramilitary forces and in select civilian sectors.