Army comparison: 
India vs 
Russia
India operates 15,413 active military vehicles vs 16,935 for Russia. Additionally, India has 0 and Russia has 8,360 vehicles in storage.
Ground forces pillar (ARMS Index) face-off All armies →
IndiaGround pillar #4
79.5
Ground pillar / 100
Russia leads on 4 of 7 categories
RussiaGround pillar #3
82.0
India
Russia
Bars: weighted contribution to the ARMS ground pillar (vehicles × category weight, active + 0.3 × stored) · figures: active vehicles at each side's latest inventory year · Methodology
Key figures as of 2026
| India | Russia | Ratio | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total vehicles | 15,413 | 16,935 | 🇷🇺 1.1× |
| In storage | 0 | 8,360 | 🇷🇺 |
| On order | 854 | 50 | 🇮🇳 17× |
| Main battle tanks | 3,854 | 3,460 | 🇮🇳 1.1× |
| Artillery pieces | 4,818 | 3,611 | 🇮🇳 1.3× |
| Armoured fighting vehicles | 6,741 | 9,864 | 🇷🇺 1.5× |
| Active military personnel (all branches) | 1,475,750 | 1,100,000 | 🇮🇳 1.3× |
| Reserve military personnel (all branches) | 1,155,000 | 1,500,000 | 🇷🇺 1.3× |
Show full breakdown · 5 more rowsHide the 5 extra rows
| Infantry fighting vehicles | 2,415 | 1,950 | 🇮🇳 1.2× |
| Armoured personnel carriers | 4,326 | 4,869 | 🇷🇺 1.1× |
| Self-propelled artillery | 100 | 1,742 | 🇷🇺 17× |
| Towed artillery | 4,400 | 670 | 🇮🇳 6.6× |
| Rocket artillery | 318 | 1,199 | 🇷🇺 3.8× |
Backbone vehicles most numerous in service
Analyst Assessment
Run the wargame simulation →Verdict
Edge: Russia
Russia holds the overall edge in ground forces, with a heavier fire-support arm — some 1,742 self-propelled guns and 1,199 rocket systems against India's 100 and 318 — plus 8,360 stored vehicles and recent large-scale combat experience. India offsets this with more main battle tanks (3,854 to 3,460), roughly 1.48 million active soldiers and an 854-vehicle order book, but its artillery remains largely towed and its armour older.
Domain by domain
Armour
Even
🇮🇳 India3,854 MBTs, the larger fleet: 2,418 T-72s and 1,310 T-90s, with 454 more T-90s and 118 Arjuns on order. Modern in numbers but thin on protection upgrades; no stored reserve.
🇷🇺 Russia3,460 MBTs led by 1,470 T-72s, 620 T-90s and 600 legacy T-62-class hulls, backed by 8,360 vehicles in storage. Attrition-tolerant depth, but a heavily worn and mixed-generation park.
Artillery & rocket forces
Edge: Russia
🇮🇳 India4,818 tubes, but 4,400 are towed (Indian Field Gun, M-46, D-30, Bofors) and only 100 self-propelled K9 Thunder, plus 318 rocket launchers including 42 BM-30 Smerch. Mobility of fires is the weak point.
🇷🇺 Russia3,611 tubes weighted toward mobility: 1,742 self-propelled (850 2S1, 608 2S3) and 1,199 rocket systems including 650 BM-21 Grad. Mass, displacement speed and organic depth all favour Russia.
Mechanised infantry
Edge: Russia
Reserves & mobilisation
Even
🇮🇳 India1,475,750 active troops, the larger standing force by roughly 375,000, with 1,155,000 reserves; a conscript-free volunteer army with deep recruitment pool but no stored equipment set.
🇷🇺 Russia1,100,000 active and 1,500,000 reserves, matched to 8,360 stored vehicles that give mobilised formations something to draw on, though condition of that stock varies widely.
Sustainment & industry
Edge: Russia
🇮🇳 India854 vehicles on order across T-90, Arjun, Dhanush, K9 Thunder and Zorawar, but a fleet dependent on imported designs and licence production, with mixed Russian, Korean, Swedish and domestic supply chains.
🇷🇺 RussiaOnly 50 vehicles recorded on order, yet a vertically integrated domestic tank, gun and rocket industry able to refurbish stored hulls; output constrained by components and sustained expenditure.
Wildcards
- Terrain and basing India's army is postured for Himalayan high altitude and desert fronts, where towed guns and light platforms like Zorawar matter more than mass armour. Russia's fleet is optimised for open European and Central Asian ground.
- Recent combat experience Russian ground formations have absorbed large-scale, high-attrition conventional fighting, driving rapid doctrinal adaptation but also heavy equipment loss. Indian formations hold sustained mountain and counter-insurgency experience without comparable armoured-manoeuvre exposure.
- Supply chain exposure A large share of India's inventory — T-72, T-90, BMP-2, D-30 — is of Russian origin, making spares and upgrade paths sensitive to Russian industrial capacity and export priorities, while Indian programmes such as Arjun and Dhanush mature slowly.
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Editorial assessment produced from the figures on this page and public sources; it is an informed reading, not a military assessment or a prediction.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which country has more armored vehicles, India or Russia?
Russia has a larger ground force with 16,935 vehicles compared to India's 15,413 vehicles.
Which country has more tanks, India or Russia?
India operates more main battle tanks with 3,854 compared to Russia's 3,460.
Which army has more infantry fighting vehicles, India or Russia?
India has 2,415 infantry fighting vehicles compared to Russia's 1,950.
Which country has more armored personnel carriers, India or Russia?
Russia operates 4,869 APCs compared to India's 4,326.
Which country has more artillery systems, India or Russia?
India fields 4,818 artillery systems (self-propelled, towed, and MLRS) compared to Russia's 3,611.