| | | | | | | | Description | | The Arjun is a main battle tank developed by India's Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO), for the Indian Army. Arjun MBT, designed to Indian Army's most stringent specifications, represents the translation of advanced design into a reliable and effective weapon system to meet the varied threats of the modern warfare. It offers the troops a state-of-the-art tank with superior firepower,high mobility,and excellent protection byadopting most advanced technologies. Armyhas placed an indent for production of 124 Arjun MBT Mk I to Heavy Vehicles Factory, Avadi, Chennai. Morethan 100 Arjun MBTs have been delivered to the Army.lndent for productionof124 Arjun MBTs Mk11 is likely to be placed shortly. The Indian Army ordered 124 Arjuns in 2000, expected to cost US$471.2 million. The first 45 tanks were delivered to the army between August 2004 and May 2009. More than 100 tanks have been delivered to the Indian Army by June 2011. After extensive field evaluations and tests, the tank entered service with the 75th Armoured Regiment on 12 May 2011. | | | | Variants :
| Arjun Mk-II: major upgrades would be missile-firing capability against long-range targets, panoramic sight with night vision to engage targets effectively at night, containerisation of the ammunition, enhanced main weapon penetration; additional ammunition types, explosive reactive armour, an advanced air-defence gun to engage helicopters; a mine plough, an advanced land navigation system and a warning system which can fire smoke grenades to confuse laser guidance. Other upgrades are an enhanced Auxiliary power unit providing 8.5 KW (from 4.5 KW) and an improved gun barrel. | | | | | | | | | Armament | | Main armament is a 120mm calibre rifled gun together with the newly developed super FSAPDS ammunition, can defeat any contemporary armour used in tanks. The electro slag-refined gun steel tube is auto-frettaged to withstand higher gas pressures. A thermal jacket prevents irregular temperature distribution on the tube due to weather influences. A coaxial 7.62 mm machine gun for anti-personnel targetsand a 12.7 mm machine gun for anti-aircraftas well as ground targets have been providedas secondary weapons. The superior armour-defeating capability of the indigenously developed Fin-stabilized Armour Piercing Discarding Sabot (FSAPDS) ammunition and 120 mm calibre rifled gun give Arjun MBT an edge over contemporary world-class tanks. A computer-controlled integrated Fire Control System (FCS) with day-cum-night stabilised sighting system guarantees avery high First-round-hit Probability (FRHP) and reduced reaction time to bring effectivefire on targets. Mounted either side of the turret is a bank of nine forward-firing smoke grenade dischargers, the upper layer having five tubes and the lower layer four.
| | Protection | | Arjun has an all-round protection from antitank ammunition achieved by the newly developed Kanchan armour to a degree much higher than available in the present generation tanks.
| | Propulsion | | Low ground pressure, high power-to-weight ratio, and adoption of new design concepts in engine, transmission, suspension and running gear make MBT Arjun a highly mobile and agile weapon platform. The remarkable mobility characteristics of Arjun, which also add to its protection,arethe resultof:
- Highperformance diesel engine.
- Robust and effectiveautomatictransmission system.
- Highflexiblehydro-pneumaticsuspension.
- Optimised running gear with high shockenergyabsorptioncapability.
The engine and transmission are provided by German companies MTU and Renk respectively.The water-cooled engine generates 1,400 hp and is integrated with an Indian turbocharger and epicyclic train gearbox with four forward and 2 reverse gears A local transmission is under trials and it is envisioned to ultimately replace the Renk-supplied unit The tracks which were being supplied by German company Diehl are now being manufactured by L&T. 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. Suspension is of the hydropneumatic type. The aluminium alloy rubberised track blocks have rubber-bushed pins, the track tensioners have a built-in overload protection.
| | Accessories | | Ergonometry, using anthropometric data of Indian troops, has been given due importance while designing the fighting and driving compartments to fully exploit the outstanding features of the weapon system. Hydropneumatic suspension provides excellent ride comfort to crew eliminating fatigue on extended runs. Arjun hasexcellent fording capabilities. It can ford 1.4m without preparation and wade through a depth of up to 2.15 m. The Arjun has an NBC system designed and built by the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC). To further enhance battlefield survivability, the Arjun has an automatic fire detection and suppression system. Ammunition is also stowed in watertight containers to reduce the risk of fire.
| | | | Specifications | | | | Armament | | One 120 mm gun, one 7.62 mm MAG coaxial machine gun, one NSVT 12.7 mm anti-aircraft machine gun, 2 x 9 smike grenade launcher | | Country users | | India | | Designer Country | | India
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| | Accessories | | Laser range finder, automatic fire detection and suppression system, computer firing system, night vision, NBC protection system | | Crew | | 4 | | | Armor | | Composite armour
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a | | Weight | | 58,500 kg | | Speed | | 70 km/h maximum speed on road, 40 km/h cross-country | | Range | | 450 km
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| | Dimensions | | Lenght, 10.19 m; Width, 3.84 m; Height, 2.32 m | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |