After years of delay, Indian army set to place order for 118 Arjun Mark 1-As

The Arjun MBT project has witnessed major delays with the entire plan started way back in the mid-1970s but the tanks were inducted by the Army only in 2004.

After years of delays and field trials, the Indian Army is finally ready to place an order for 118 indigenously manufactured Arjun Mark 1-A 'Hunter Killers'. The tank is touted as better than Arjun main battle tank (MBT) in terms of firepower and stability.

As per a report in the Print, the 68 ton Arjun Mark 1A has cleared all tests and negotiations over its costs have been also completed between its developer the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and the Indian Army. Further, the Army is also pushing the project file in order to procure the tank as soon as possible. The development has come as good news for the Chennai-based Combat Vehicles Research and Development Establishment (CVRDE) which operated under the aegis of DRDO.

Tank loaded with major improvements

The officials of DRDO have said that in comparison to its earlier variant, Arjun Mk-1A has undergone 72 improvements, of which 14 were the major upgrades directly requested by the Indian Army. CVRDE Director V Balamurugan said that the basic parameter of the tank includes "firepower, protection, and mobility".

Under firepower, CVRDE has included four major upgrades with an improved Gunner's Main Sight (GMS), integrated with Automatic Target Tracking (ATT), that help the tank crew fire while the tank is in motion. Moreover, the Commander's Panoramic Sight (CPS Mk II) has been integrated with Thermal Imager.

Indian Army tank — (Representational Image)Wikimedia Commons

The upgrade would mean that the tank commander will effectively conduct surveillance during daytime as well as in the dark. The tank is also now loaded with a Remote Controlled Weapon Station that will allow the loader to engage with the ground targets and aerial targets from the protective envelope of the tank armor.

"The tank comes with 14 major improvements that the Army has sought, which will make it the most potent and self-protective tank in the Army's inventory," Balamurugan added

The Arjun MBT project has witnessed major delays with the entire plan started way back in the mid-1970s but the tanks were inducted by the Army only in 2004. Moreover, it was never used to their maximum capacity due to its excess weight, non-availability of spare parts, etc.