Army to construct next-gen 3D-printed bunkers at LAC
NEW DELHI: 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, create underground facilities for the storage of ammunition at forward locations along the Line of Actual Control (LAC), and build a raft of new roads, bridges and tunnels as part of an overarching infrastructure push to strengthen its capabilities in the sensitive sector at a time of a lingering border standoff with the neighbour, officials familiar with the matter said, asking not to be named.
The modern bunkers, which the army terms 3D printed permanent defences, will come up near LAC next year onwards, and will be able to withstand a direct hit by a tank shell, said one of the officials cited above who tracks infrastructure development in forward areas. Their name comes from the fact that they are made using 3D printers; the material used is a proprietary form of quick drying concrete and admixture.
For at least a few years now, the US army, for instance, has been using 3D printers to create bunkers.
“These defences are very strong and can withstand a direct hit from a T-90 tank,” the official said. “Trials have already been conducted in the western sector (Rajasthan) and eastern