The Arjun main battle tank (MBT), named after the warrior prince Arjuna in the Indian epic Mahabharata, was developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) for the Indian Army.
It has been developed under a multi-laboratory programme of DRDO mainly at the Combat Vehicles Research & Development Establishment (CVRDE) facility.
1. Arjun main battle tank orders and deliveries :-
The Indian Army placed initial orders for 124 tanks in March 2000. The first batch of five tanks was delivered in August 2004 and a total of 45 had been delivered by May 2009. The army received all 124 tanks by 2011.
In March and April 2010, comparative trials on manoeuvrability of the Arjun MBT and the Russian T-90 tank in Rajasthan deserts resulted in a better performance from the Arjun tank. The Indian Army subsequently ordered another 124 advanced tanks in May 2010, this time mkII.
The Arjun mkII variant is a light-weight futuristic main battle tank (FMBT) with electro-optical sensors and high-power lasers. It is being developed by DRDO with a total of 93 upgrades, as per the requirements of the army.
BEL unveiled a new weapon control system for the 12.7mm gun of the Arjun mkII tank, at Aero India 2017 Air Show held in February 2017.
The mkII is expected to be ready by 2018. They are expected to be the potential contender for the replacement of aging Army’s Russian T-72 fleet of 2,400 tanks.
In 2009, the Colombian Army expressed its interest to buy Arjun to fulfil its immediate requirement of ten tanks, with a further requirement of 100 tanks over five years.
2. Design :-
The development of Arjun MBT began in March 1974. The tank heavily depends on foreign technology and equipment. German Leopard 2 tank developer Krauss Maffei provided the design assistance. Hence, the Arjun closely resembles Leopard 2A4 tank.
Between 25% and 30% of the tank components, including engine, transmission, gun barrel, tracks and fire control system, are imported.
3. Armament:-
The Arjun MBT is equipped with an indigenously developed 120mm main rifled gun with fin stabilised armour-piercing discarding sabot (FSAPDS) and high-explosive squash head (HESH) ammunition. An anti-personnel 7.62mm coaxial machine gun is fitted alongside the main gun and a 12.7mm machine gun is fitted at the top of the turret to aim aircraft and ground targets. An anti-helicopter round is also being developed to combat air threat to armour.
The tank has special containers to carry 39 projectiles of 120mm ammunition. These containers keep the ammunition away from the crew, providing an additional level of survivability. The rear-side faces of the turret are fitted with up to 12 smoke grenade dischargers. The weapon systems can be operated in silent watch mode using an auxiliary power unit.
Crew :- Four (commander, gunner, loader, driver)
Overall Length with Gun Forward :- 10.64m
Overall Height with Gun Back :- 9.55m
Overall Height with AD Gun Mount :- 3.03m (turret roof: 2.32m)
Overall Width :- 3.864m
Combat Weight :- 58.5t
Maximum Speed :- 70km/h
Maximum Speed Cross Country :- 40km/h
Ground pressure :- 0.84kg/cm²
Main Gun :- 120mm rifled
Rate of Fire :-6-8 rounds a minute
Ammunition :- 39 rounds (FSAPDS / HESH)
Co-Axial Machine Gun :- Mag 7.62mm Tk 715 A
Anti-Aircraft Machine Gun :- HCB 12.7mm
Fire Control System :- Director type
Gun Control System :- Electro-hydraulic
Night Vision :- Thermal imaging
Ballistic Computer :- Digital
Model :- MTU 838 KA 501 ten cylinder diesel engine :- Configuration :V90 turbo-charged diesel, ten-cylinder water cooled
Power :- 1,400hp at 2,400rpm
Power-to-Weight Ratio :24:1hp/ton
Gear Box :-4 forward and 2 reverse gears epicyclic gear train, torque converter, mechanical lockup clutch and hydrodynamic retarder
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