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| ARJUN - MBT Mark-1 |
Arjun MBT has taken several years to develop as a reliable and formidable advanced armoured vehicle for the Indian Army. Experts view it as one of the best contemporary tanks in operation today. Despite this, the army due to its misplaced idiosyncrasies has been backpedalling on user/comparative user trails in the past, which forced DRDO to initiate an accelerated user trails program of their own in 2008. In June 2008, DRDO conducted stringent trails under the watchful eye of the army and had successfully completed 6000 kms of gruelling runs in Rajasthan. However, earlier results had proved that the tank had some issues with the transmission but the vendor sorted this problem and the tank performed flawlessly without failing even once during the accelerated trails in Rajasthan. The 43rd Armoured Regiment operates the Arjun tank for well over a decade now and they are completely satisfied with it. Brigadier Chandra Mukesh remarked in his report after the AURCT, “The accuracy and consistency of the Arjun has been proved beyond doubt.”
Another extensive comparative trial was conducted by the Indian Army in March 2010, in which the Arjun was pitted against the T-90. Arjun emerged a conclusive winner from its showdown with the Russian tank and it demonstrated excellent performance under various circumstances, such as driving cross-country over rugged sand dunes, detecting, observing and quickly engaging targets, accurately hitting targets – both stationary and moving, with pin pointed accuracy. It displayed accurate and quick target acquisition capability during day and night in all types of weather and shortest possible reaction time during combat engagements. An army officer remarked that the Arjun could have performed even better, had it been operated by experienced crewmen. Nevertheless, the result was heartening vindication of DRDO technological capabilities, the Arjun MBT out-gunned and outran the T-90 on every crucial parameter. Besides, the Army was constantly changing its battlefield requirements which had a direct impact on Arjun's delivery timelines.
The Kanchan class armour of Arjun is probably the best of the technologies employed which derives its name from Kanchan Bagh, Hyderabad, where the Defence Metallurgical Research Laboratory (DMRL) is located. The amour has been able to take the brunt of high precision and deadly Israeli anti tank munitions. The T-72 Ajeya and the new T-90 MBT has shown alarming vulnerability in the Georgian conflict a couple of years ago. I wonder why our Army generals are making whoopee for such sitting ducks. There is lot of money involved in importing military hardware and they are also on the lookout for those foreign jaunts and romp.
Another extensive comparative trial was conducted by the Indian Army in March 2010, in which the Arjun was pitted against the T-90. Arjun emerged a conclusive winner from its showdown with the Russian tank and it demonstrated excellent performance under various circumstances, such as driving cross-country over rugged sand dunes, detecting, observing and quickly engaging targets, accurately hitting targets – both stationary and moving, with pin pointed accuracy. It displayed accurate and quick target acquisition capability during day and night in all types of weather and shortest possible reaction time during combat engagements. An army officer remarked that the Arjun could have performed even better, had it been operated by experienced crewmen. Nevertheless, the result was heartening vindication of DRDO technological capabilities, the Arjun MBT out-gunned and outran the T-90 on every crucial parameter. Besides, the Army was constantly changing its battlefield requirements which had a direct impact on Arjun's delivery timelines.
The Kanchan class armour of Arjun is probably the best of the technologies employed which derives its name from Kanchan Bagh, Hyderabad, where the Defence Metallurgical Research Laboratory (DMRL) is located. The amour has been able to take the brunt of high precision and deadly Israeli anti tank munitions. The T-72 Ajeya and the new T-90 MBT has shown alarming vulnerability in the Georgian conflict a couple of years ago. I wonder why our Army generals are making whoopee for such sitting ducks. There is lot of money involved in importing military hardware and they are also on the lookout for those foreign jaunts and romp.
Image: Arkem8
So much of shit is flying around because the Army has shown total disdain towards DRDO, it is sad to say these ninnies have to learn a lesson or two from the Air Force. They have been patient with the LCA, worked along with ADA to fructify their dreams of piloting a flying machine made in India, and they have been also patient with DRDO missile developments. The IAF has carefully planned their offensive and defensive postures with regard to missile development and they now have missiles for any target or eventualities. The Akash a medium-range mobile surface-to-air missile defense system and the advanced Astra active radar homing beyond-visual-range air-to-air missile (BVRAAM) systems are testimony to DRDO technical prowess, resolve and IAF’s perseverance. The Agni III, IVand the latest and most potent Agni V ICBM is a also a significant technological achievement for DRDO, this is without doubt one of the deadliest missiles around not because of its firepower but because of its single digit accuracy, the telemetry hardware and most importantly the software was developed by Indian engineers.
Similarly, the Indian Navy has also embarked on an ambitious indigenous development program, the latest. They are the only service with an independent design bureau and they have steadfastly worked with DRDO and other agencies to develop frigates, corvettes, and amphibious ships, landing ships, destroyers, patrol vessels and other attack vessels and sub systems. The INS Arihant ATV (Advanced Technology Vehicle) is the crowning glory of this effort, the secretive nuclear submarine program is progressing well and India has joined a selective club of countries that can develop and manufacture its own nuclear submarines. The recent spate of accidents, which is dogging the Navy, is because of the present government’s apathy towards modernization and requisite procurement of equipment and one cannot blame this on the Navy’s operational capabilities.
India for decades has dominated the Information Technology realm as a reliable and proficient partner to some of the biggest IT companies in the world. When US denied India a second Cray XMP-14 supercomputer in mid 1980's on the ground that it could be used to design nuclear weapons, India decided to circumvent this technology embargo by building an indigenous supercomputer of its own and the job was entrusted to the then fledgling Center for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC). The PARAM 8000 supercomputer was unveiled in 1991, it used Inmos T800 transputers and had 64 CPU's. By 2007, India had the world's fourth fastest supercomputer with a peak performance of 220 Teraflops (220 trillion flops). India has also committed to develop the world's fastest supercomputer by 2017. The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and the Indian Institute of Science (IIS), Bangalore will develop a supercomputer with a performance of 132.8 Exaflops (132 quintillion floating operations per second - A quintillion has 18 Zeros). Several countries can assemble a parallel processing unit but cannot make the grade to have it working with a suitable Operating System; our gems at C-DAC accomplished this without a flutter. Therefore, our capabilities as a science & technology development powerhouse is unquestionable.
ANALYSIS
Arjun Main Battle Tank development marks the fruition of 35 years of research in self-reliance by dedicated Indian scientists against all odds. Arjun is provided with excellent mobility, superior fire power and protection and the features are quite comparable to contemporary world tanks. The Kanchan Armour, Hydro-pneumatic suspension, Armament system, Integrated Fire Detection & Suppression System, system engineering and system integration of complex weapon platforms are some of the significant indigenous technologies of Arjun, developed by DRDO. Initially 12 prototypes were developed during 1983 to 1990 and they were subjected to field trials of more than 20,000 kms and 1,100 rounds. Based on user feedback 15 pre-production vehicles were developed during 1990 to 1995 and they were subjected to field trials of more than 70,000 kms and 8000 rounds. After the satisfactory trials, army placed an indent initially for 15 limited series production in Nov 1997 and cumulatively 124 in Mar 2000. The development of Arjun was carried out in a number of stages and evaluation through extensive field trials. After satisfactory performance, Army placed an indent for the full compliment of 124 Arjun MBT in Mar 2000.
As there was a long gap from the R&D phase to production phase from 1993 to 2000, problems related to re-establishing production lines and vendor sources and resolving overseas issues like technology denial in view of Pokhran testing, change over and mergers of original equipment manufacturers for the critical items delayed the initial commencement of production. In order to meet the production requirement, additional infrastructure facilities and machine tools were established at Heavy Vehicles Factory, Avadi and Ordnance Factory, Medak. However, the first pilot batch of production tanks was handed over to Army on 7th August 2004. During subsequent production, Army insisted upon the demonstration of medium fording capabilities. Teams continuously worked on a war footing, to meet the stringent requirement of medium fording to a height of 2.1m in water with preparation time of 30 minutes as retro-fitment solution and demonstrated successfully in July 2007. Subsequently, the production tanks were incorporated with all medium fording modifications.
Arjun tanks were subjected to rigorous trials and assessment by a third party tank manufacturer auditor of international repute. After extensive evaluation, the auditors confirmed that the MBT Arjun is an excellent tank with very good mobility and fire power characteristics suitable for Indian desert conditions. They also added inputs such as quality auditing, production procedures and refined calibration procedures for further enhancing the performance of MBT Arjun. DRDO, will be incorporating all these inputs in the next regiment of tanks. (Via - PIB)
In conclusion, there is only one truth to behold, the Arjun is a wonderful fighting machine and people who cannot accept it are complete idiots.
Salient Features
Fire Power
The superior armor defeating capability of the indigenously developed Fin Stabilized Armour Piercing Discarding Sabot (FSAPDS) ammunition and 120 mm caliber rifled gun give MBT ARJUN an edge over contemporary world tanks. A computer-controlled integrated fire control system incorporating day-cum-night stabilized sighting system guarantees a very high first round hit probability and reduced reaction time to bring effective fire on targets. The stabilization system for the main armament, slaved to the sighting equipment in elevation and azimuth, with a high and accurate laying speed, allows fire on the move.
The superior fire power of MBT is based on:
The rifled 120 mm ARJUN gun together with the newly developed super velocity ammunition, can defeat any contemporary armor 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 to the tube due to the weather influences.
Secondary Armament
A co-axial 7.62 mm machine gun for anti-personnel and a 12.7 mm machine gun for anti-aircraft and ground targets are provided as secondary weapons.
Gunner's Main Sight
Gunner's Main Sight consists of a day-sight, thermal sight, a laser range finder and a stabilized head common to all the three channels. The common sighting head mirror is stabilized in elevation and azimuth. The day- sight provides dual magnification. The thermal imager provides night vision facility to the gunner and the commander to observe and engage target in total darkness and in the presence of smoke, dust, haze and light camouflage. Integral with the main sight is the laser range finder by which targets can be ranged accurately.
Panoramic Sight for Commander
Commander's panoramic sight enables the commander to effect an all round surveillance in the battlefield without removing his eyes from the sight and without being disturbed by the turret motion. The field of view is stabilized with the help of a two axes rate gyro-mounted on the platform of the head mirror. The sight offers dual magnification.
Ammunition
Two types of ammunition namely, FSAPDS and High-Explosive Squash Head (HESH) have been developed for this armament. The highly lethal FSAPDS ammunition which is the main battle ammunition of the tank has accounted itself admirably during the trails. In addition, the anti-helicopter round to combat the air threat to armor is also under development.
Mobility
Low ground pressure, high power-to-weight ratio and new design concepts in transmission suspension and running gear result in highly mobile and agile weapon platform.
The remarkable mobility of MBT which also adds to its protection is the result of:
Protection
All round protection from anti-tank ammunition is achieved by the newly developed KANCHAN armor to a degree much higher than available in present generation tanks. The high degree of immunity is achieved by.
Ergonometric and Anthropocentric data of Indian troops has been kept in view while designing the fighting and driving compartments to fully exploit the outstanding features of the weapon system. Hydro-pneumatic suspension provides excellent ride comfort for crew eliminating fatigue even on extended runs. (About Arjun Text & Table Source: DRDO - Edited)
ANALYSIS
Arjun Main Battle Tank development marks the fruition of 35 years of research in self-reliance by dedicated Indian scientists against all odds. Arjun is provided with excellent mobility, superior fire power and protection and the features are quite comparable to contemporary world tanks. The Kanchan Armour, Hydro-pneumatic suspension, Armament system, Integrated Fire Detection & Suppression System, system engineering and system integration of complex weapon platforms are some of the significant indigenous technologies of Arjun, developed by DRDO. Initially 12 prototypes were developed during 1983 to 1990 and they were subjected to field trials of more than 20,000 kms and 1,100 rounds. Based on user feedback 15 pre-production vehicles were developed during 1990 to 1995 and they were subjected to field trials of more than 70,000 kms and 8000 rounds. After the satisfactory trials, army placed an indent initially for 15 limited series production in Nov 1997 and cumulatively 124 in Mar 2000. The development of Arjun was carried out in a number of stages and evaluation through extensive field trials. After satisfactory performance, Army placed an indent for the full compliment of 124 Arjun MBT in Mar 2000.
As there was a long gap from the R&D phase to production phase from 1993 to 2000, problems related to re-establishing production lines and vendor sources and resolving overseas issues like technology denial in view of Pokhran testing, change over and mergers of original equipment manufacturers for the critical items delayed the initial commencement of production. In order to meet the production requirement, additional infrastructure facilities and machine tools were established at Heavy Vehicles Factory, Avadi and Ordnance Factory, Medak. However, the first pilot batch of production tanks was handed over to Army on 7th August 2004. During subsequent production, Army insisted upon the demonstration of medium fording capabilities. Teams continuously worked on a war footing, to meet the stringent requirement of medium fording to a height of 2.1m in water with preparation time of 30 minutes as retro-fitment solution and demonstrated successfully in July 2007. Subsequently, the production tanks were incorporated with all medium fording modifications.
Arjun tanks were subjected to rigorous trials and assessment by a third party tank manufacturer auditor of international repute. After extensive evaluation, the auditors confirmed that the MBT Arjun is an excellent tank with very good mobility and fire power characteristics suitable for Indian desert conditions. They also added inputs such as quality auditing, production procedures and refined calibration procedures for further enhancing the performance of MBT Arjun. DRDO, will be incorporating all these inputs in the next regiment of tanks. (Via - PIB)
ABOUT ARJUN MBT
Main Battle Tank (MBT) Arjun is a multi-laboratory program of Defence Research & Development Organisation (DRDO) with Combat Vehicles Research & Development Establishment (CVRDE) as the lead Laboratory. It is a state-of-the-art tank with superior fire power, high mobility, and excellent protection. Twelve Mk 1 prototypes of MBT Arjun have been manufactured and their performance tests have provided satisfactory results. Some of the breakthroughs achieved by CVRDE during the development of MBT Arjun are in Engine, Transmission, Hydro-pneumatic Suspension, Hull and Turret, and Gun Control System.
Salient Features
Fire Power
The superior armor defeating capability of the indigenously developed Fin Stabilized Armour Piercing Discarding Sabot (FSAPDS) ammunition and 120 mm caliber rifled gun give MBT ARJUN an edge over contemporary world tanks. A computer-controlled integrated fire control system incorporating day-cum-night stabilized sighting system guarantees a very high first round hit probability and reduced reaction time to bring effective fire on targets. The stabilization system for the main armament, slaved to the sighting equipment in elevation and azimuth, with a high and accurate laying speed, allows fire on the move.
The superior fire power of MBT is based on:
- Accurate and fast target acquisition capability during day and night and in all types of weather .
- Shortest possible reaction time during combat engagements .
- Ability to accurately engage targets on move .
- Capability to destroy all possible enemy armor at maximum battle ranges
- Excellent first hit probability
The rifled 120 mm ARJUN gun together with the newly developed super velocity ammunition, can defeat any contemporary armor 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 to the tube due to the weather influences.
Secondary Armament
A co-axial 7.62 mm machine gun for anti-personnel and a 12.7 mm machine gun for anti-aircraft and ground targets are provided as secondary weapons.
Gunner's Main Sight
Gunner's Main Sight consists of a day-sight, thermal sight, a laser range finder and a stabilized head common to all the three channels. The common sighting head mirror is stabilized in elevation and azimuth. The day- sight provides dual magnification. The thermal imager provides night vision facility to the gunner and the commander to observe and engage target in total darkness and in the presence of smoke, dust, haze and light camouflage. Integral with the main sight is the laser range finder by which targets can be ranged accurately.
Panoramic Sight for Commander
Commander's panoramic sight enables the commander to effect an all round surveillance in the battlefield without removing his eyes from the sight and without being disturbed by the turret motion. The field of view is stabilized with the help of a two axes rate gyro-mounted on the platform of the head mirror. The sight offers dual magnification.
Ammunition
Two types of ammunition namely, FSAPDS and High-Explosive Squash Head (HESH) have been developed for this armament. The highly lethal FSAPDS ammunition which is the main battle ammunition of the tank has accounted itself admirably during the trails. In addition, the anti-helicopter round to combat the air threat to armor is also under development.
Mobility
Low ground pressure, high power-to-weight ratio and new design concepts in transmission suspension and running gear result in highly mobile and agile weapon platform.
The remarkable mobility of MBT which also adds to its protection is the result of:
- High performance engine
- Robust and effective transmission system particularly flexible hydro-pneumatic suspension .
- Optimized running gear with its high shock energy absorption.
- Due to the high power-to-weight ratio and low specific ground pressure, MBT is fast, highly maneuverable and extremely mobile to cross the most difficult terrain with ease. High acceleration rapid braking capabilities with excellent steering characteristics make MBT agile in the battlefield. Adequate fuel storage capacity and relatively low fuel consumption allow for an optimal operational range.
Protection
All round protection from anti-tank ammunition is achieved by the newly developed KANCHAN armor to a degree much higher than available in present generation tanks. The high degree of immunity is achieved by.
- The computerized design and simulation
- A fabricated turret housing lightweight compact KANCHAN armor
- Careful dimensioning of wall through optimal slopes and angles
- A low silhouette
Ergonometric and Anthropocentric data of Indian troops has been kept in view while designing the fighting and driving compartments to fully exploit the outstanding features of the weapon system. Hydro-pneumatic suspension provides excellent ride comfort for crew eliminating fatigue even on extended runs. (About Arjun Text & Table Source: DRDO - Edited)
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