70th Armoured Regiment (India)
70 Armoured Regiment is an armoured regiment of the Indian Army.
Formation
The regiment was raised on February 11, 1968 at Ahmednagar by Lieutenant Colonel R Christian as 70 Guided Missile Regiment. Brigadier AN Jatar, MVC, AVSM was the first Colonel Commandant.It was the first anti-tank guided missile regiment of the Indian Army. It also has the distinction of being the first armoured regiment with a “mixed class” composition, drawing troops from various castes and religions.
Equipment
At the time of raising, the Regiment was equipped with the SS11B1 anti-tank missiles. In 1975, the Regiment handed over its missile equipment, along with some officers and other ranks to 15 Guards and was reorganised as a tank regiment and was equipped with T-55 tanks. It converted to MBT T-90 in 2010.Operations
;Indo-Pakistani War of 1971: The regiment took part in the 1971 Indo-Pak war on the western front. Sub-units of the Regiment saw action in Jaisalmer/ Rann of Kutch, Ganganagar and Fazilka sectors. It achieved its first tank kill on the Sabuna drain in the Fazilka sector on December 7, 1971. Dafadar Uttam Singh was awarded the Sena Medal for his bravery in the Fazilka sector.The Regiment was presented the President's Standard on 27 November 2011 by the then President of India Mrs Prathiba Patil. 70 Armoured Regiment along with four other Armoured Regiments of the 1 Armoured Division got their colours in Patiala.