The Arjun is a third generation main battle tank developed by India's Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO), for the Indian Army. The tank is named for Arjun, a character in the Indian epic, Mahabharata.
The Arjun features a 120 mm main rifled gun with indigenously developed APFSDS ammunition, one 7.62 mm coaxial machine gun, and a 12.7 mm machine gun. It is powered by a single MTU multi-fuel diesel engine rated at 1,400 hp, and can achieve a maximum speed of 70 km/h (43 mph) and a cross-country speed of 40 km/h (25 mph). It has a four-man crew: commander, gunner, loader and driver. Automatic fire detection and suppression, and NBC protection systems are included. All-round anti-tank warhead protection by the newly developed Kanchan armour is claimed to be much higher than available in comparable third generation tanks.
In March 2010, the Arjun was pitted against the T-90 in comparative trials and performed well. Subsequently delays and other problems in its development from the 1990s to the 2000s prompted the Indian Army to order vast numbers of T-90S tanks from Russia to meet requirements that the Arjun had been expected to fulfill.
Army placed an order for an additional 124 tanks on May 17, 2010 and 124 Arjun Mk-II Tanks on August 9 2010.
The Arjun entered service with the Indian Army on 12 March 2011. The tanks were first inducted into the 75th Armoured Regiment in Jaisalmer, replacing T-55 tanks.| Arjun MBT | |
|---|---|
| Type | Main battle tank |
| Place of origin |  India |
| Production history | |
| Designer | CVRDE, DRDO |
| Designed | March 1974–present |
| Manufacturer | Heavy Vehicles Factory, Avadi |
| Unit cost |  17.2 crore (US$3.8 million) |
| Produced | 2004–present |
| Number built | 90–124, additional 124 Mk-I and 124 Mk-II ordered |
| Variants | Tank EX |
| Specifications | |
| Weight | 58.5 tonnes (57.6 long tons; 64.5 short tons) |
| Length | 10.638 metres (34 ft 10.8 in) |
| Width | 3.864 metres (12 ft 8.1 in) |
| Height | 2.32 metres (7 ft 7 in) |
| Crew | 4 (commander, gunner, loader and driver) |
| | |
| Armor | steel/composite Kanchan armour. |
| Main armament | 120 mm rifled tank gun LAHAT anti-tank missile HEAT, APFSDS, HESH Rounds |
| Secondary armament | HCB 12.7 mm AA MG Mag 7.62 mm Tk715 coaxial MG |
| Engine | MTU 838 Ka 501 diesel 1,400 hp (1,040 kW) |
| Power/weight | 23.9hp/tonne, |
| Transmission | Renk epicyclic train gearbox, 4 fwd + 2 rev gears |
| Suspension | hydropneumatic |
| Ground clearance | 0.45 metres (1 ft 6 in) |
| Fuel capacity | 1,610 litres (350 imp gal; 430 US gal) |
| Operational range | 450 kilometres (280 mi) |
| Speed | 72 km/h (45 mph) Road 40 km/h (25 mph) Cross country |
Arjun MBT Armament
Armed with a 120 mm rifled gun, the Arjun is believed to be capable of firing APFSDS (Kinetic Energy) rounds, HE, HEAT, High Explosive Squash Head (HESH) rounds at the rate of 6-8 rounds per minute and the Israeli semi-active laser guided LAHAT missile. The LAHAT, developed in Israel, is a gun-launched missile and is designed to defeat both enemy armor and enemy combat helicopters. In addition, it is armed with a 12.7 mm AA machine gun and a 7.62 mm coaxial machine gun. The Arjun can carry 39 rounds in special blast-proof canisters. The Arjun uses a manual loader and has a crewman to reload the gun.
The computerized fire control system aboard Arjun has been jointly developed by DRDO with the Elbit,Israel. The Fire Control System is stabilised on two axes, and with an extremely high hit probability (design criteria call for a greater than 0.9 Pk) replaces an earlier analogue one, which had problems due to its inability to function under the harsh desert conditions.The combined day sight from Bharat Electronics Ltd. and the thermal imager (formerly from Sagem, now reported to be from El-Op) constitute the gunner's primary sight. The first batch of tanks of the 124 ordered by the Army will have an all-digital Sagem FCS, whereas the second block will have the BEL unit, which will be used for all units thereafter. The commander's own stabilised panoramic sight allows him to engage targets and/or hand them over to the gunner. The Arjun has an auxiliary power unit to operate weapon systems in silent watch mode as well.
The tank incorporates GPS-based navigation systems and sophisticated frequency hopping radios. The state-of-the-art Battlefield Management System, co-developed by DRDO and Ebit Israel, allows it to network with other fighting units. The Arjun has the capability to network with other tanks, thanks to its Battle Management System. In a search and engage operation, several Arjun tanks can monitor an opponent and his moves, and try to eliminate him in a chase or ambush.
Arjun MBTProtec tion
The turret and glacis are heavily armoured and use "Kanchan" ("gold") modular composite armour. The Kanchan armour got its name from Kanchan Bagh, Hyderabad, where the Defence Metallurgical Research Laboratory (DMRL) is located. The armour is made by sandwiching composite panels between Rolled Homogenous Armor (RHA) to defeat APFDS or HEAT rounds. During the trials in 2000, the Kanchan was able to withstand a hit from a T-72 at point blank range, and was able to defeat all available HESH and APFSDS rounds, which included the Israeli APFSDS rounds. A new honeycomb design non-explosive and non-energetic reactive armour (NERA) armour is reportedly being tested on the Arjun.
A Mobile Camouflage System has been developed and integrated into the Arjun as part of the 'Development of Defensive Aids System' project in collaboration with Barracuda Camouflage Limited,to reduce the vehicle signature against all known sensors and smart munitions.
An Advanced Laser Warning Countermeasure System (ALWCS) for the fire control system has been developed. This consists of a laser warning system, Infra-Red (IR) jammer and aerosol smoke grenade system. This is being developed jointly with Elbit Systems Limited of Israel. The ALWCS has been integrated on Arjun MBT and trials have been carried out.
Arjun MBT Mobility
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.
The Arjun features a hydro-pneumatic suspension. This coupled with the Arjun's stabilisation and fire control system allows the tank excellent first-hit probability against moving targets while on the move. Its ride comfort is highly praised. Though on the negative side, it is a more maintenance-intensive and expensive system, even if more capable than the simpler and cheaper torsion bar system utilized on many older tanks worldwide. During trials, the Arjun showcased its fording capability, by driving under six feet of water for 20 minutes.
A new 1500 hp engine is being developed that will eventually replace the present engine. An allocation of 40 crore (US$8.9 million) has been allocated for the project which is expected to be completed within five years.
