Arjun MBT

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This page is about the battle tank. For other uses, see Arjun (disambiguation)

Arjun MBT

Type	Main Battle Tank
Place of origin	India
Service history
In service	2007 - date
Used by	Indian Army
Production history
Designer	CVRDE, DRDO
Designed	March 1974 - date
Manufacturer	Heavy Vehicles Factory, Avadi
Unit cost	$3.4 mn (Rs 14 crore)^[1]
Produced	2004 - date
Number built	60
Variants	Tank EX
Specifications
Weight	58.5 tonnes
Length	10.638 m
Width	3.864 m
Height	2.32 m
Crew	4 (commander, gunner, loader and driver)

Armor	composite Kanchan armour.
Primary armament	120 mm rifled tank gun LAHAT anti-tank missile HEAT, APFSDS, HESH Rounds
Secondary armament	HCB 12.7mm AA MG Mag 7.62mm Tk715 coaxial MG
Engine	MTU 838 Ka 501 diesel 1400 hp (1040 kW)
Power/weight	24 hp/tonne
Suspension	hydropneumatic
Ground clearance	0.45 m
Fuel capacity	1610 Litre
Operational range	450 km

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Arjun (Sanskrit: अर्जुन) is an Indian main battle tank developed by DRDO (Defence Research and Development) for the Indian Army. It is named for Arjuna, one of the heroes of the Indian epic 'The Mahabharata'.

1 History
- 1.1 Production
2 Specifications
3 Variants
4 Photo Gallery
5 Notes
6 References
7 External links
- 7.1 Video

[edit] History

Following the experience of the 1971 War, The Indian Government decided to indigenously develop a Main Battle Tank, with induction by the early 1990s. The programme was approved in 1972, and a General Staff Qualitative Requirements (GSQR) released by the Indian Army. The Government sanctioned Rs. 15.5 Crore for the initial part of the programme in May 1974.^[2]

DRDO, with CVRDE as the main laboratory, was tasked with developing the hull, armor, turret, running gear and gun, with the powerpack being bought from abroad.^[2] Originally intended to be a 40-ton MBT armed with a 105 mm gun, the Arjun’s project requirements were upgraded to 58.5 tons with a 120 mm gun. The project has had a protracted developmental time, thanks to the design needing to be adapted for the harsh operational conditions in India, the ever-changing requirements from the Army and the lack of a prior heavy tank building industry in India.

In the process of developing the Arjun, India established the infrastructure to develop and manufacture modern armour. The Heavy Vehicles Factory located in Avadi, in the southern state of Tamil Nadu is the facility that has been producing prototypes and pre-production models. The HVF has produced T-72s and Vickers medium tanks in the past, and the Arjun is seen as a significant challenge.

[edit] Production

In 2004 the first 5 Arjun Tanks were given to the Indian Army in August 2004. [1]

The Indian Army has 124 Arjuns on order. The first 15 tanks of the 124 have already been activated. Of the remaining 109 tanks, the Indian Army is currently putting the first five tanks from the production lines at Avadi, through accelerated build quality and reliability trials. The intent is to verify whether the Arjun production has stabilized, with the requisite quality and performance requirements. Upon successful completion, the remaining 104 tanks will be manufactured in batches. The first 14 of these will be handed over to the Indian Army by September 2007. The planned production rate is currently pegged at thirty tanks per year, with the Army requesting fifty per year as the ideal.

Arjun has been extensively tested, clocking 70,000 km, in addition to about 10,000 trial firings. Major General H.M. Singh, Additional Director in charge of trial and evaluation, said latest user field trial report had certified that the accuracy and consistency of the weapon system was proved beyond doubt.^[3]

The Indian Army tested the Arjun MBT in Exercise Ashwamedh and was satisfied with its performance. The defence minister Shri A.K Antony was shown the modification made to the tank according to the satisfaction of the Indian Army. The demonstration included medium fording by Arjun MBT. The final trial will be held in September 2007 and orders for more tanks will be placed after the final trial.^[4]

DRDO is gearing up for the development of futuristic Arjun Mark-2 Tanks (Arjun Mk.2).^[5] The Arjun Mk.2 will have an advanced Battle Field Management System (BFMS), auto tracking and targeting capabilities and also an active protection system.^[6]

[edit] Specifications

The Arjun (Mk I) was developed after three decades of identifying requirements, design, evaluation, redesign process involving the DRDO and the Indian Army. Weighing in at 58.5 tons, it is significantly heavier than the Soviet-legacy tanks used presently by the Indian Army, and requires changes to the army's logistics establishment to incorporate Arjun MBT, including new rail cars to transport the bigger and heavier Arjuns. The production facility for the Arjun, set up at Heavy Vehicle Factory in Avadi has started to produce the tank after the technology was transferred by the DRDO. The required logistical changes are also being made.

[edit] Armament

LAHAT missiles.

Armed with a 120 mm rifled gun, the Arjun is 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. In addition, it is armed with a 12.7 mm AA machine gun and a 7.62 mm coaxial machine gun.^[7] The Arjun can carry 39 rounds in special blast-proof canisters. Loading is manual.

A special prefragmented round is also under development. This shell has a proximity fuse designed to be used against low-flying aircraft, such as attack helicopters. This round could now be supplanted by the LAHAT ATGM which is to be acquired for the Arjuns. ^[8]

The Arjun's Rifled Tank gun is unique since only it and the British Challenger 2 tanks use Rifled guns among modern tanks. The gun is extremely accurate at long range, which ensures a high first hit probability. The ministry of defence in a letter to parliament admitted that the firing accuracy of Arjun is far superior to that of the T-90 and T-72 tanks.

[edit] Fire control and Navigation

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 the extreme conditions during tests. 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 design and development of the BEL IGMS (Indigenous Gunners Main Sight), the name for the local fire control system, is a huge step forward for Indian industry, given its demanding specifications.^[9] 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 electronic systems in the tank is build to withstand extreme temperatures in the deserts reaching 60 degree Celsius.

The tank incorporates GPS based navigation systems and sophisticated frequency hopping radios. The state-of-the-art Battlefield Management System, developed by DRDO, 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 eliminate him in a chase or ambush.

[edit] Protection

Arjun has been designed with Western design practices in mind, especially reflected in its crew protection features. With a crew of four, it incorporates heavy composite armour and significant crew protection measures, including ammunition separated from the crew, and blow off panels on the turret bustle, and an integrated fire detection and suppression system. It also incorporates nuclear, biological and chemical protection.^[10] Further, Explosive Reactive Armour (ERA) panels can be added, though the current Kanchan armour is deemed sufficient for the Arjuns tank-killing role.

The turret has been designed with the ergonomics of Indian Army troops in mind. The typical crew consists of a Gunner, Commander, Loader and Driver. It is protected by a Laser warning system and smoke launchers for counter measures. To further enhance combat survivability, the tank has an auto-fire detection and suppression system. Ammunition is also stored in watertight containers to reduce the risk of fire.^[11]

The turret and glacis are heavily armoured and use "Kanchan" ("gold") modular composite armour. The Kanchan Armor got its name from Kanchan Bagh, Hyderabad, where the Defence Metallurgical Research Laboratory (DMRL) is situated.^[12] 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 FSAPDS rounds which included the Israeli FSAPDS rounds.^[12] A new honeycomb design Non-explosive and non-energetic reactive armour (NERA) armour is reportedly being tested on the Arjun.^{[citation needed]}

[edit] Mobility

The engine and transmission are provided by 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 will ultimately replace the Renk supplied unit. The tracks which were being supplied by Diehl are now being manufactured by L & T, an Indian company. 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, despite using a bulkier and older powerplant than comparable western tanks, still boasts a lower silhouette. This was a significant design success for Indian engineers.

The Arjun has a state of the art hydro-pneumatic suspension. This coupled with the Arjun's excellent stabilisation and fire control system, allows the tank superb 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 6 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 Rupees has been allocated for the project which is expected to be completed within five years.^[13]

[edit] Variants

A 155 mm self-propelled howitzer variant of the Arjun (labelled 'Bhim') has been prototyped by fitting the South African Denel T6 turret, which comes with the G5 howitzer to the Arjun chassis. This project has been delayed as DENEL has become embroiled in a corruption scandal in India, and hence the Indian Ministry of Defence has suspended the Bhim.

A bridge layer based on the Arjun chassis has also been displayed by the DRDO[2]. Developed in cooperation with Indian industry, this bridge layer is deemed superior to the T-72 based units, as it can handle a larger load and uses a "scissors type" bridgelaying method, which does not raise the bridge high up into the air, and hence make it visible from afar.

Armoured engineering vehicles based on the Arjun are also assumed to be in development, as the Arjun induction will require units of a similar power to weight ratio or powerful enough to tow it, or recover it on the battlefield.