ARJUN TANK

Three decades after the first MBT-80proof of concept vehicle was unveiled,five Arjun tanks, along with T 72 andT 90 tanks, will be handed over to theArmy in June 2006. This batch constitutes the first delivery of the
order of 124 tanks placed by theIndian Army. While flagging off the Bogie Flat Arjun Tank (BFAT) in
Bangalore on 27 May 2006, Chief ofArmy Staff General JJ Singh said that the tanks were expected to be
inducted into the Army after the fieldtrials. The three decades that have gone into producing an MBT, that is
acceptable to the Army, are dottedwith adverse publicity. To begin with,the locally developed engine failed to
perform to expectations. This wasfollowed by the unsatisfactory performance of the fire control system,
that produced an erratic first hit rateranging from 20-80 percent. Apart from its heavy weight, the tank was
also larger than the tanks that can betransported by standard Indian rail cars: it extends 6 cms beyond the
allowed 3 cm on other side of therailcar. All this meant an extension of the project beyond the mandated
timeframe and budget. Nevertheless,despite stinging criticism, the DRDO has finally managed to roll out a tankthat started out as a MBT-80 but resulted in something equaling the topMBTs of the world – Abrahms, Leclerc and Leopard.A comparison of the Arjun tank’s specifications, with the acclaimed MBTs and the best MBT in Indian possession (Bhishma), reveals that Arjun is not only on par with them, but better than them in firing capacity and battle survivability.despite stinging criticism, the DRDO has finally managed to roll out a tank that started out as a MBT-80 but resulted in something equaling the top MBTs of the world – Abrahms, Leclerc and Leopard.A comparison of the Arjun tank’s specifications, with the acclaimed MBTs and the best MBT in Indian possession (Bhishma), reveals that Arjun is not only on par with them, but better than them in firing capacity and battle survivability.
 A comparison of the Arjun tank’s specifications, with the acclaimed MBTs and the best MBT in Indian
possession (Bhishma), reveals that Arjun is not only on par with them, but better than them in firing capacity
and battle survivability. Three key factors adjudge the quality of any MBT. They are mobility, weapon systems, and battle survivability. Lets see how the Arjun fares.
MOBILITY
To begin with, though the weight of the tank if often cited as a failure, in actuality, the tank is not very heavy as
compared to other tanks in its category. Despite its weight, it has very low ground pressure which will
prevent the tank from ‘sinking in the sand’ as widely criticized. The M1A2, heavier than Arjun by more than 10 tons and with much higher ground pressure, performed remarkably well in the desert sands during the first
Gulf War. The Arjun tank is not only more agile that the T-90S Bhishma, with a maximum speed of 72 km/h,
but also exerts less ground pressure, thereby significantly reducing the chance of ‘sinking’ in.

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