New Delhi: In a major development, the Indian Army, in collaboration with Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL), launched a special Extreme Winter Grade (XWG) diesel that remains fluid in temperatures as low as minus 42 degrees Celsius, on Friday.
This will enhance the operational readiness of military vehicles deployed along the Himalayan frontier with China. The new fuel can be used across the Army’s existing vehicle fleet without requiring any engine modifications, as reported by The Tribune.
At present, the Army uses conventional diesel that tends to thicken and clog fuel lines in extremely low temperatures, affecting the performance of vehicles operating in high-altitude, snow-bound areas.
Vehicles must be started and kept idling for several minutes at regular intervals to prevent the fuel from freezing inside engines. Troops deployed in Ladakh, Sikkim, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Arunachal Pradesh are required to start vehicles every two hours to ensure the diesel does not freeze, which could otherwise render them inoperable.
This process is repeated around the clock for thousands of vehicles, including jeeps, trucks, tanks, missile carriers and artillery gun engines, requiring substantial manpower solely to keep the fleet operational, an official said. This also adds to fuel consumption.
The XWG diesel was formally launched by Army chief General Dhiraj Seth and BPCL chairman and managing director Sanjay Khanna.
Gen Seth described the fuel as a “game-changing indigenous innovation”, saying that it would enhance mobility, operational readiness and mission reliability in extreme climatic conditions.
“I appreciate the kind of advantage this XWG diesel is going to render,” he said.
Commending the Army team and BPCL for developing the fuel within a year, the Army chief expressed confidence that the collaboration would lead to the development of more specialised fuels for diverse operational requirements.
The technology is expected to move beyond military use. It is also expected to benefit civilian users in high-altitude and extreme winter regions by improving the reliability and safety of vehicles and equipment operating in severe weather conditions.
“Our soldiers serve in extreme sub-zero conditions where human endurance and machine reliability are tested to their limit. In such demanding terrain, dependable fuel is not a requirement but a strategic necessity,” Khanna said.
The XWG diesel was validated through extensive field trials conducted jointly with Army teams at a strategic high-altitude location. Khanna said BPCL had put in place end-to-end measures to ensure uninterrupted availability of the fuel, from production at its Bina refinery to strategic stocking at Bathinda.
The fuel was fully compatible with the Army’s existing fleet, Director General Supplies and Transport Lieutenant General Mukesh Chadha said.
The Army adopted a four-stage indigenous development programme for the project, comprising formulation of operational performance parameters, indigenous product development, comprehensive testing and validation, followed by logistics operationalisation.
