Arjun News & Discussions

[nitesh]

Just a question here. If army is unwilling to accept any more Arjuns, why does DRDO forces them too. I mean they can export the tank in the international market and if DRDO is able to satisfy its international customers, it will not only generate valuable amount of revenue for the DRDO to continue its research but also it will prove the indian army wrong in their decision about not inducting the tank in large numbers.

You have a point, but without domestic orders it will be very tough to convince others to buy it.

 

[nitesh]

Some words from DRDO side, but Army top brass not having experience on tank battle? I think this was unnecessary

The Tribune, Chandigarh, India - Nation

ank tussle hots up
Induct 500 Arjuns: DRDO
Ajay Banerjee
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, July 8

The ongoing tussle over inducting Arjun tank in the Indian Army has become a hot topic of discussion in the past few days. After the director general Mechanised Infantry, Lt-Gen Dalip Bharadwaj, was quoted in the media saying that the Army would not buy more than 124 Arjun tanks, the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has reportedly told defence minister A.K. Antony that at least 500 such tanks should be manufactured and inducted.

Senior functionaries of the DRDO have briefed the minister that capacity exists to manufacturing 500 tanks at the Heavy Vehicles Factory, Avadi. The Army is to decide on it next set of requirements. The balance is tilted in favour of the Russian tank T-90.

Rather the DRDO has informed that 70 tanks are ready for delivery at the Avadi plant and the Army contracted number of 124 tanks would be met in the next six months. Hundreds of crores of rupees have been invested in building capacities at the Avadi plant and more tanks should be purchased. Since the tanks have shaped up very well in the just concluded summer trials there is no reason why more should not be inducted, the DRDO is learnt to have told Antony in the past few days.

Notably, the DRDO’s claim that Arjun was a good tank has been buffered by a personal letter, written by the retired Lieutenant General to the defence minister. The Chandigarh-based former Army officer has alleged that the Army was opposing the Arjun tank, as most of the top brass of the Army did not have much experience in a tank battles.

Sources said the DRDO had reacted sharply to the Army officers assertion in the media on the status of the Arjun tank and briefed the defence minister. Rather a note is being put up by the DRDO on how the tanks fared in the just concluded trials and how new systems and technologies have been incorporated. Five discrepancies had been pointed out during the winter trials in 2007 that were about the gearbox, the firing accuracy and quality control over some equipment.

It may be mentioned that the DRDO has been gunning for comparative trial between the Arjun and the Russian made T-90 tanks.

The defence minister and the ministry of defence officials are keen that such comparison be conducted. The DRDO has also reportedly informed the minister that Arjun is a contemporary tank and is far superior to T-54, T-55 and T-72 tanks used by the Army in the past.

 

[cactuslily58]

This is what marketing is all about...selling a lemon .

 

[vish]

This is what marketing is all about...selling a lemon .

Sir,
Sorry to bother, but why do you say that the Arjun is a lemon?

 

[cactuslily58]

Sir,
Sorry to bother, but why do you say that the Arjun is a lemon?

Not here....

 

[vish]

Not here....

Sir,

Is there any which way we can communicate otherwise?

Rather, Sir, am I allowed to know what you know?

Sorry if I'm intruding; it is just that my curiosity in this matter is somewhat very high.

 

[nitesh]

This is what marketing is all about...selling a lemon .

Can you please back up your point with some sort of technical info, it will be good.

 

[Goodperson]

Sir,

Is there any which way we can communicate otherwise?

Rather, Sir, am I allowed to know what you know?

Sorry if I'm intruding; it is just that my curiosity in this matter is somewhat very high.

vish, Even I think DRDO was not able to market Arjun well, Even if Army may have inclination towards Russian tanks but glitches in Arjun have not helped either. I remember some glitches were reported few years back, But why were the problems not sorted out ? Now there were even reports of sabotage. But it is not going to help professional army.

Still I think Arjun is quite capable tank even zraver (tank expert from Israel) seconded the same, DRDO should sort out issues if any ASAP trials cannot go on and on.

 

[Always Neutral]

vish, Even I think DRDO was not able to market Arjun well, Even if Army may have inclination towards Russian tanks but glitches in Arjun have not helped either. I remember some glitches were reported few years back, But why were the problems not sorted out ? Now there were even reports of sabotage. But it is not going to help professional army.

Still I think Arjun is quite capable tank even zraver (tank expert from Israel) seconded the same, DRDO should sort out issues if any ASAP trials cannot go on and on.

Dear GP,

Actually its a decent Tank from a development point of view and lot of valuable lessons have been probably been learnt while building it but no armed forces should be forced to accept something which they have limited utility for.

It will be good to see where these 124 tanks are deployed. Maybe on the eastern borders or for peace keeping missions ?

Regards

 

[fatman17]

Jane's Login

The End Of The Line For Arjun...

Indian Army abandons plans to order more Arjuns

Rahul Bedi JDW Correspondent - New Delhi

Key Points
No Arjun main battle tanks will be built beyond the 124 already on order

The Indian army is exploring alternatives to meet its requirement for next-generation warfare


The Indian army has confirmed that it will not place additional orders for the locally designed Arjun main battle tank (MBT) beyond the 124 already under construction.

General Dalip Bhardwaj, the army's director general of mechanised infantry, said on 5 July that "the army will place no more orders for the Arjun". While the Arjun "might be used in the next decade or so", he added that it was not suitable "for next-generation warfare". "The army ... is looking 20 to 25 years ahead and wants a futuristic MBT," he said.

The Indian Ministry of Defence ordered 124 Arjuns in 2000 - which the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has been developing since 1972 - to be built at the Heavy Vehicles Factory at Avadi in southern India. These were meant to be delivered by 2009 but will not be completed on time.

Gen Bhardwaj was echoing comments made by army chief General Deepak Kapoor that the Arjun was not of "international quality" after the tank performed badly in winter trials in December 2007.

The army, along with the Confederation of Indian Industry, is now organising a two-day seminar to be held later in July on 'Future Main Battle Tanks and Future Infantry Combat Vehicles' to discuss global challenges in designing, developing and producing these platforms. Participants from France, Germany, Israel, the UK and the US are expected to attend.

Gen Bhardwaj also rejected the DRDO's hybrid 48-ton 'Tank-EX': an amalgam of the Arjun's turret with a locally built T72M1 chassis.

Consistent development delays and cost overruns with the Arjun resulted in India importing 310 T-90S tanks in 2001 and agreeing in November 2007 to buy 347 more and build a further 1,000 locally under licence. The army is also upgrading its T-72M1 fleet.

Separately, the army has issued a request for information for integrating an air-conditioning system alongside a supporting auxiliary power unit in its T-90S tanks, which have suffered breakdowns in their fire-control systems in the desert heat. Official sources said attempts by various overseas and local engineering companies to air condition the T-90S had not worked.

The Indian army has effectively killed the Arjun main battle tank project

 

[M.KHURRAM.KHAN [747 ARMY]]

ARJUN TANK IS NOT DANGEROUS FOR PAKISTAN.

 

[Keysersoze]

ARJUN TANK IS NOT DANGEROUS FOR PAKISTAN.

CAPS off and more substance to your posts please

 

[M.KHURRAM.KHAN [747 ARMY]]

OK, ARJUN Tank is not better for india.Pakistani alkhalid tank breaks down arjun tank.

 

[Keysersoze]

OK, ARJUN Tank is not better for india.Pakistani alkhalid tank breaks down arjun tank.

Ok. Now some more substance to back up your claims please.

 

[ejaz007]

DRDO tries to ram Arjun tanks down Army throat
12 Jul 2008, 0051 hrs IST, Rajat Pandit,TNN

NEW DELHI: A war has erupted in the Indian defence establishment over the indigenous Arjun main-battle tank (MBT), once again. After Army made it quite clear it did not want more than the 124 Arjuns already ordered, Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has fired a retaliatory salvo.

Seeking the government's intervention to ensure "indigenous efforts" are "appropriately rewarded", DRDO says Army should order a minimum of 500 Arjuns to stabilise production lines and pave the way for the development of a "futuristic" MBT.

"We are working on the development of a futuristic Mark-II MBT with suitable technological upgrades, which can be introduced later after the completion of production of at least 500 Arjuns of the present version," said a DRDO official.

Nothing doing, responds Army. "Our requirement for 1,781 MBTs to replace the older T-55 and T-72 tanks will be met through the progressive induction of 1,657 Russian-origin T-90S tanks and 124 Arjuns," said a senior officer.

After getting 310 T-90S tanks for over Rs 3,625 crore under a February 2001 contract, India signed a Rs 4,900 crore deal with Russia last November to import another 347 T-90S tanks. The Avadi Heavy Vehicles Factory, in turn, has also begun the licensed manufacture of another 1,000 T-90S tanks.

Moreover, the ongoing upgradation of 692 T-72 tanks to "combat-improved Ajeya standards", of which 415 have already been delivered, will add more punch to India's armoured might.

"So, we have already catered for adequate numbers. We are now looking 20 years ahead and want DRDO to come up with a next-generation MBT. We are not against indigenous efforts...let DRDO make something better," said the officer.

DRDO, however, is crying foul over moves to demand "higher performance" from the 58.5-tonne Arjuns, which are "superior" to even the 46.5-tonne T-90s in some respects like its "excellent weight-to-power ratio and very accurate firepower on the move".

With 64 of the 124 Arjuns already ready for delivery, DRDO holds that the Army is shying away from "comparative trials" between them and the T-90S tanks, which interestingly enough have been christened "Bhishma".

While acknowledging that the Arjun project was sanctioned as far back as in 1974 at a cost of Rs 15.50 crore, which zoomed up to Rs 300 crore by 1995, DRDO says one of the main reasons for the delay was the frequently changing "qualitative requirements" of the Army.

"Development of tanks of similar capabilities in a foreign country will cost 10 times the development cost we have incurred in India. The present cost of one Arjun is Rs 16.80 crore, while it is around Rs 12 crore for the T-90S. Arjun's cost compares favourably with contemporary western MBTs, which cost Rs 17 crore to Rs 24 crore," said a DRDO official.

Admitting there are "teething problems in productionization", DRDO says the process will "mature and stabilize" only after 200 to 300 tanks have actually been produced. "Consequently, we need patronage in terms of more orders for Arjuns. Since it's an indigenous tank, it will be all the more easier to bring upgrades and use it as a viable platform for futuristic development," he said.

:: Bharat-Rakshak.com - Indian Military News Headlines ::

Thank god they are trying to ram through army throat and not through ***.