Arjun
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- This article is about Arjun, a Battle Tank. Please see Arjuna (Mahabharata) or Arjun Appadurai (social theorist) for relevant pages.
Arjun is a Main Battle Tank developed by DRDO (Defence Research and Development) for the Indian Army.
Specifications
Arjun (Mk .1) was developed after three decades of identifying requirements, design, evaluation, redesign process involving the DRDO and the Indian Army. Weighing in at 58.5 tons, it is significantly heavier than the T-series tanks used presently by the Indian Army, and requires changes to the logistics of the army. This along with concerns about the import content and the required changes in production facilities has caused the induction into the Indian Army to be slow.
Armed with a 120 mm rifled gun, it is capable of firing FSAPDS (Kinetic Energy) rounds, High Explosive Squash Head (HESH) rounds and the Israeli semi-active Laser guided LAHAT missile. Machine guns with calibers of; 12.7 mm for anti-aircraft and 7.62 mm for infantry engagment are also provided.
The Fire Control System is stabilised on two axes, and with an extremely high hit probability replaces an earlier one, which had problems due to the extreme conditions during tests. The combined day sight and thremal imager (El-op) allows for the commander to have his own stabilised panoramic sight, engage targets and or hand them over to the gunner.
The tank incorporates GPS based navigation systems, sophisticated frequency hopping radio's. The state of the art Battle Fields Management system allows it to network with other fighting units. It is protected by a Laser warning system and smoke launchers for counter measures.
Arjun has been designed in synch with western design practices in mind reflected in its crew protection features. With a crew of four, it has a heavy composite armour, significant crew protection features which include; blow off panels, integrated fire protection and ammunition separated from the crew. It also has nuclear, biological and chemical protection systems. Further, an Explosive Reactive Armour (ERA) can be added. The turret and glacis are heavily armoured and use the "Kanchan" (gold) composite armour, tested and proven against all Anti-tank rounds the Indian Army is expected to face in future battlefields. The turret has been designed with anthropemetrical data of Indian troops in view. The typical crew consists of a Gunner, Commander, Loader and Driver.
The engine and transmission are provided by MTU and Renk respectively. The Engine generates 1400 hp and is integrated with an Indian turbocharger and gearbox. A local transmission is under trials and will ultimately replace the Renk supplied unit. The tracks which were being supplied by Diehl are now being manufactured by L & T, an Indian company. The cooling pack has been designed for desert operations. The Arjun has a lower ground pressure than the lighter T-72, due to its design.
The design is similar that of the Leopard 2A4 Tank, because of the design consultancy by Krauss Maffei and the involvement of several German firms. This has led some to dub the Arjun as Leopard I, with the I standing for India. Despite the similarities, the differences have pushed the Arjun to its own niche, causing the tank to be deemed "too expensive" and "different". The complimentary tank T-90S of Russian origin, could thus be produced in significantly more numbers.
The Indian Army has ordered 124 Arjuns and is gearing to group them in a dedicated unit along with the prior prototypes and test tanks, all of which are now deemed operational. Thus the first 15 tanks of the 124 have already been inducted. The Indian Army recently (2004-08-07) inducted the first five tanks from the production lines at Avadhi. The planned production rate is at 30 tanks per year, with the Army requesting 50 per year. As more Arjuns get inducted, it is feasible that the Indian Army could order many more tanks.
The Arjun has faced several hurdles in its design and development It has evolved from the originally requested 40-ton tank armed with a 105mm gun to the present day requirements, 58.5 ton 120 mm gun heavy tank. Other than the changing requirements, problems with engine and the Fire Control systems, especially under intense conditions in the Indian desert has caused some challenging situations. Through the process, India has acquired its own armaments complex and the ability to make modern state of the art armoured vehicles.
A variant or offshoot of the Arjun is a 155 mm self-propelled howitzer created by fitting the South African T6 turret, which comes with the G5 howitzer.
External Links
- Article 1 (http://www.hindu.com/2004/08/08/stories/2004080807640800.htm)
- Article 2 (http://www.hindu.com/2004/08/04/stories/2004080406451200.htm)
- Article 3 (http://www.hindu.com/2004/01/08/stories/2004010806531200.htm)
- Article 4 (http://www.123bharath.com/tamilnadu-india-news/index.php?action=fullnews&id=6999)