Zarvan
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I am a subscriber to Auto India Magazine published by the renowned Business India Group. In the February 2014 issue, I was pleasantly surprised to read an article "India's Mighty"dedicated entirely on the Indian Army's Wheeled, Tracked and Submersible vehicles. The article was absorbing and very unique in its content since it was published in a magazine solely dedicated to cars & bikes. Frankly, I am not embarrassed to say that I wasn't even aware of the existence of some the vehicles in the list. Please note that the article focuses entirely on the carrier vehicle rather than the weapon systems they carry.
Auto India is one of the oldest magazine of its kind in India, it is a cute little magazine which periodically publishes very interesting articles such as this along with its regular features, it is also the cheapest magazine among the heap published in our country (just ₹ 50/-). Unfortunately, they don't maintain an online portal, hence I am posting this for the benefit of IDN fans. I have taken the liberty to tweak some information & images for your benefit, however, I have endeavored to maintain the general pith as per the original article.
Those interested can subscribe the magazine here: Auto India | (Article Credit: Adreesh Ghoshal, Auto India, Feb 2014)
TANKS
The Arjun MBT is developed by DRDO and built by Central Vehicle Research and Design Establishment (CVRDE) at the Heavy Vehicles Factory at Avadi. It weighs 59 tons, and powered by a 1400bhp MTU Ka 401 turbo charged diesel engine. The Arjun has a range of 450 Km and a 120mm rifled gun. It is protected by the indigenously developed Kanchan Class explosive reactive armour, and has a top speed of 72 Kph. It can fire APFSDS, LAHAT, HE, HEAT and HESH rounds. Additionally, it is armed with a 12.7mm AA machine gun and a 7.62mm coaxial machine gun.
This Ajeya is another example of technological co-operation between India and the erstwhile USSR. The Ajeya is based on the T72M, and is armed with a new 125mm 2A46M gun. The Ajeya MKII features upgraded Polish SKO-1T DRAWA-T fire control systems and thermal imagers, laser illumination warning system, DRDO Explosive Reactive Armour, a new GPS system, improved crew protection, a new 1000bhp PZL-WOLA engine and banks of 6 smoke grenade-launchers on each side. The plan is to reequip 1,500 Ajeya's MKII with updated technology.
The T72 was perhaps the world's most advanced battle tank design when introduced in the 70’s. The T72 is extremely lightweight, at 41 tonnes, and very small compared to Western MBTs. The army used the T72 tank to ravaging effect in the 1971 war. A 780bhp V12 diesel engine powers it. It is armed with a 125mm smoothbore main gun capable of firing anti-tank guided missiles, as well as standard ammunition, including HEAT and APFSDS rounds, a 7.62mm machine gun and a 12.7mm anti-aircraft gun. It has a range of 460 km and a top speed of 60 Kph.
The Bhishma is the Indian version of the T90. A 1000bhp Chelyabinsk diesel engine powers it. Standard protective measures include a blend of steel, composite armour, smoke mortars, Kontakt-5 explosive-reactive armour, & laser warning receivers, Nakidka camouflage and Shtora infrared ATGM jamming system. Weighing 52-tons, it is armed with a 125mm smoothbore gun that can also fire ATGMs. The auxiliary armament consists of a 12.7mm Kord HMG and a 7.62mm pintle mounted machine gun. India operates 2011 T90 and Bhishma tanks.
The Tank-EX is a technology demonstrator that has been designed and built wholly by DRDO and CVRDE. It weighs 53 tons, and features top-secret composite armour technology. It is armed with the Arjun’s 120mm main gun, a LAHAT anti-tank guided missile tube, a 12.7mm anti-aircraft machine gun, and a 7.62mm coaxial machine gun. It has the same 1000bhp diesel engine that is used on the T72M. It has a max speed of 60kph and max range of 480Km.
