The Indian Army will construct modular, 3D-printed, next generation bunkers to provide better protection to front-line soldiers guarding the country’s border with China in the Ladakh sector.
The modern bunkers will come up near Line of Actual Control (LAC) next year onwards, and will be able to withstand a direct hit by a tank shell. The bunkers will also build a raft of new roads, bridges and tunnels to strengthen its capabilities in the sensitive sector at a time of a lingering border standoff with the neighbour.
The bunkers are made using 3D printers; the material used is a proprietary form of quick drying concrete and admixture. An official said, “Trials have already been conducted in the western sector (Rajasthan) and eastern Ladakh. Construction of permanent defences along LAC will begin next year. This project (3D permanent defences) is being implemented by the Corps of Engineers. These defences can be easily moved by two soldiers if needed as the heaviest component in the structure weighs only 40kg.”
The modules are being built by the army in partnership with the IITs at Gandhinagar and Madras. The 3D printers will be moved to Ladakh for making the bunkers there as it will save time and transportation costs. The other benefit is speed — a bunker can be printed in a matter of hours. While 20-odd 3D-printed bunkers have already been made, the army will construct hundreds of such bunkers in Ladakh and the numbers will gradually increase.
The army is using the same 3D printing method for building living shelters for soldiers, the officials said. Four such double-storey shelters have come up in the eastern sector, with each capable of accommodating 64 soldiers.
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