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IDN TAKE: The Much Vilified Combat Readiness Of Arjun Main Battle Tank

Pakistan was not interested In Abraham.
Not from start, it was America forcing that tank on Pakistan. In desert firing trials initial version of Abraham lost against Basic T59.....
Which consolidated the decision of Pakistan Military leadership not to follow this tank.....

And there was no reason from start !
well maybe thats what you think but we know what ayub khan did once he had his hands on brand new american hardware like sabre jets , SPGs and patton tanks

so its better to be safe than to be sorry but now deu to the baised and some time sabotaging behaviour of indian army arjun which was cioncieved as a mediul heavy MBT as an answer to abhrahms has morphed one of the best MBTs in buisness and with new push form new NaMo govt and MII initiatve there is a new type of FMBT in R&D with active help of israelies and french .. stay tuned

as for arjun work has already started afresh on tank EX (arjun turret on T72 chassis) and as per reports its gonna be a autoloader and inprooved T72 chassis with 1500 BHP engine latest israeli APS and fire control and sighting system

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tank_EX

240px-Indian_Army_Tank_Ex_in_parade.jpg
 
well maybe thats what you think but we know what ayub khan did once he had his hands on brand new american hardware like sabre jets , SPGs and patton tanks

It's not what I think, it's what the reality is. :-)
You don't know about it, then it's an other thing.
And yes, even in ZIA time we had hands on advance American weaponry. But we wanted them according to our demands not what American thought was our demand.
Our first demand was of AWACS. Which United States was reluctant to provide.
And believe it or not, air craft carrier was also in picture........ 8-)
 
It's not what I think, it's what the reality is. :-)
You don't know about it, then it's an other thing.
And yes, even in ZIA time we had hands on advance American weaponry. But we wanted them according to our demands not what American thought was our demand.
Our first demand was of AWACS. Which United States was reluctant to provide.
And believe it or not, air craft carrier was also in picture........ 8-)
why are you changing the topic i said IA wanted something to counter abrahams so DRDO was given the "arjun" job if pakistan dint went for those why should we stop our R&D on arjuns ?
 
I answered your off topic point with off topic point.......
And what are you trying me to "tell" is a well known fact.......
I am not learning any thing New here Guru G

why are you changing the topic i said IA wanted something to counter abrahams so DRDO was given the "arjun" job if pakistan dint went for those why should we stop our R&D on arjuns ?

You run projects to counter a threat, if threat don't exist then what is point of running that project?
But I am not suggesting anything.....
Do what ever you wish ......
 
I answered your off topic point with off topic point.......
And what are you trying me to "tell" is a well known fact.......
I am not learning any thing New here Guru G



You run projects to counter a threat, if threat don't exist then what is point of running that project?
But I am not suggesting anything.....
Do what ever you wish ......
no we run projects to get self sufficiency and its a long process arjun is finally here to stay but im sure not in its current form and at least three off shoots are in the pipeline :coffee:
 
If You want self sufficiency then induct Arjun in large numbers, like 600 of them .......

Producing a "new" tank and only 124 of them is "drame bazi" :D

no we run projects to get self sufficiency and its a long process arjun is finally here to stay but im sure not in its current form and at least three off shoots are in the pipeline :coffee:
 
If You want self sufficiency then induct Arjun in large numbers, like 600 of them .......

Producing a "new" tank and only 124 of them is "drame bazi" :D
why are you so botherred its not drama baazi we have already ordered 220+ arjun MK2 and the HVF avadi is already gearing up for a new assembally line for arjuns

http://www.thehindubusinessline.com...f-capacity-being-ramped-up/article8687379.ece

tell how many so called "hunter killer al khaleds" you have :azn:

well instead of making fun of others try to make yourself strong enof so no one make your fun :coffee:
 
And as for suspension and powerpack, who in their right mind would initiate development of those for a measly 124 units??

That was not the goal for the project. The project wasn't designed for 124 units, and in general Arjun was running quite late, due to both DRDO's mismanagement, and Army's lack of confidence, throw in a few other interests as well.
 
we have already ordered 220+ arjun MK2 and the HVF avadi is already gearing up for a new assembally line for arjuns

http://www.thehindubusinessline.com...f-capacity-being-ramped-up/article8687379.ece

This "order" news is circulating from time when Mk2 was yet to introduce .......
There is no order for Mk2, at least not yet.

ell how many so called "hunter killer al khaleds" you have :azn:

If you consider 2013 figure, then it's 320.
600 AK are planned to be produced by end of 2017 .........

so called "hunter killer al khaleds"

You were humiliated before on this topic when you claimed that Indian T72 with "Battle improved" upgrade is as good as AK can even dream of......
But when technical details were shared, you were no where to found......
Same thing happened in F16MLU upgrade thread two weeks ago.......
So, now I don't take any thing seriously when you show your "expert" opinion about any technical stuff .........

Lol :lol:
 
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Under 45 Ton in general........ depending upon terrain.
For fire support, not armored formation.
Indian T72 & T90 can be transported by C17 & Il78 to Kashmir, And both these tanks including T55 series can be used for fire support with Mechanized or Infantry div/brig.
Just like we are doing in Zarb e Azb and recent Afghan border clashes.....

India is the country that have deployed its armoured tank in Zozilla is the fact. T-55 has been retired and there is no tank that could be effective in the hieghts of the border which India have way its 45 ton or 40 ton.

I doubt Arjun belongs to same class of
Abraham M1A2 Sep, Leopard 2A7, T99A2, Armata T14, Challenger Mk2, Type 10 or K2 Black panther.......

Arjun tank is an excellent design, though different than the Russian counterpart, even the israeli experts have praised Arjun tank. Remove Armata and k2 Black panther from the list, and its comparable to the other tanks in respect of the protection and firepower.

It's basic 3rd Generation platform and I consider it insult of Tanks mentioned above to "enforce" Arjun in same field....

It's an old design, and you can notice improvements in MK2 design, particularly in Front turret ........

B.S argument, Give facts rather than arguing, so the Challenger is an Old Design

Get used to it

arjun-tank.jpg


Chest beating ..........

How ??

Name Chinese components in AK?

Whole tank. Its the tank only modified to suit PA.

I give more worth to my chapal then I give to likes of you.....
I am just answering a certain guy. Why I give Damn where Gandhi faced money is spent? In buying tanks or in hiring sluts........ ?

Then why opening the mouth, when its for the Indian Army developed by India.

Hunter killer ability is very common thing for all Modern MBT in World.....
Seem you are aware of only "one" term in armor .......

LOL

Then why are you so excited, when you want to keep your eyes closed for the firepower capability of the Arjun 120 mm Riffled gun with superior pressure.

Where I pointed fingers on Rifled cannon for it being under performance?
All I pointed out that having different caliber and different origin demand new ammo. Hence increasing over all expenditures......

120 mm Riffled Gun is more than sufficient for the Armour which the enemy could field on the terrain where the major fight will be in 700 mt to 1.5 Km.

It's Ramzan.
And my Tarbiat enforce me not to answer in same language as you are talking .......
:coffee:

Does the Ramzan does not prevent doing Trolling.

tPoEwBQ.jpg


That was not the goal for the project. The project wasn't designed for 124 units, and in general Arjun was running quite late, due to both DRDO's mismanagement, and Army's lack of confidence, throw in a few other interests as well.

Its the beurocracy -- Between the 3 armed services, the IA's bureaucracy is the worst. That's why the IA HQ's Directorate of Mechanised Warfare (DMW) failed to include the Master General Ordnance (MGO) Branch during the Arjun Mk1 MBT's user-evaluations. That's why after the DMW approved the Arjun Mk1's service-induction, another user-evaluation was thrust upon the Arjun Mk1, resulting in 93 additional modifications being asked for. This could clerarly have been avoided & all of the MGO-specified modifications should have been specified after evaluating the pre-production prototypes. Had this happened, it would have been possible to order 350 Arjun Mk1s, 56 Arjun Mk1 ARVs & 24 BLT-Arjun bridgelayers.

ARJUN beats T-90 in all parameters !!!!! Sir do you even realize what you are accusing your Army of !! even if indirectly ? :what::what::what:
@Sulman Badshah @DESERT FIGHTER @Dazzler @Tipu7 @


False argument No 1: The Arjun tank, after decades of failure, can’t suddenly have turned the corner!

It hasn’t “suddenly turned the corner”. It turned the corner very gradually, from around mid-2004. A major landmark came in early 2005, when the problem of the hydro pneumatic suspension unit (HSU) was licked. And in June 2005, the Arjun was to prove its capability in comparative trials in the Mahajan Field Firing Ranges (MFFR); the army agreed to comparative trials involving 5 Arjuns, 5 T-72s and 5 T-90s.

That turned out to be a total fiasco! The Arjun’s electronics packed up in the heat and the trials were over even before they began. The generals who came, including the Western Army Commander, laughed all the way back to their helicopters. The chief, who was to fly in for the trials was rung up and told not to take the trouble.

THAT WAS THE TURNING POINT.

The CVRDE put in a huge effort to heat-harden its electronics, which is something that bears fruit today. While the T-90 is now looking for air-conditioners, the post-2005 electronics in the Arjun can function flawlessly through 60 degrees.

In summer 2006, stringent firing trials by 43 Armoured Regiment established --- in the words of the army’s own trial team --- that the "accuracy and consistency of the Arjun tank was proved beyond doubt".

Later that year, the MoD stated to Parliament’s Standing Committee on Defence that, "Arjun's firing accuracy is far superior to the other two tanks."

In summer 2007, when the army was being pressured to conduct comparative trials, the DGMF raised another objection: the Arjun should be able to drive for 20 minutes in six feet of water. By the end of 2007, the CVRDE managed that as well.

In the Accelerated Usage cum Reliability Trials (AUCRT), which was held in five phases over the first half of this year, the Arjun had problems in the transmission system (not the MTU engine as widely reported, but the Renk transmission) during the first three phases. Engineers from Renk GMbH, Germany came and fixed that and in the last two phases, which were the really tough, heavy desert, hot weather phases, the Arjun performed flawlessly.

The process of turning the corner has been a slow one, but it symbolises exactly why one should go for an Indian tank: each drawback was analysed by our engineers, fixed according to the users’ instructions, and then delivered back to the users without charging them a penny. Contrast that with the problems with the T-90’s electronics. Nobody is fixing that problem; instead, the Russians are trying to sell us air-conditioners. Added expense, and an inefficient solution compared to heat-hardening the electronics, the way the CVRDE did.

False argument No 2: The manufacturers of T-90 have 5 decades of experience under their belt. The T-90 is drawn from the bloodline of T-72 and T-55, both of which are battle proven.

Even the Russians are not buying into the myth of the T-90. That tank entered service with the Russian Army around 1996 and, till today, there are barely 250 T-90s defending Mother Russia! India has more T-90s in service than the Russian Army… and once we implement the full contract, we will have 6 times more T-90s than the Russian Army.

I wonder why the Russian Army isn’t accepting such a blue-blooded tank with such a fine pedigree??? The Russian Army prefers to use: 2144 numbers of T-72s, 3044 numbers of T-80s, 689 numbers of T-62s (plus 3000 more in storage), and even 1000 rickety old T-55s.

Sorry, but there are no more orders from Russia for T-90s.

False argument No 3: The soldiers who operate the Arjun doubt its capabilities as a frontline tank.

The Arjun tank has been operated by 43 Armoured Regiment since over a decade; 43 is delighted with the tank. I have a very close friend who commanded that regiment and he always argued that a regiment of Arjun tanks was worth two regiments of T-72s. And this was even before the Arjun turned the corner!

After the firing trials in June 2006, 43 Armoured Regiment pronounced itself delighted with the Arjun’s firing performance. As I said above, 43 Armoured Regiment endorsed in its trial report, “The accuracy and consistency of the Arjun has been proved beyond doubt.” The brigade commander, Brigadier Chandra Mukesh, himself from 43 Armoured Regiment, endorsed that report whole-heartedly.

But the DGMF was quick to strike back. Barely three months after that report, the commanding officer of 43 Armoured Regiment, Colonel D Thakur, was confronted by then DGMF, Lt Gen DS Shekhawat. Several eyewitnesses have described to me how Colonel Thakur was upbraided by Lt Gen Shekhawat for “not conducting the trials properly”. Fortunately for Colonel Thakur, his brigade commander, Brigadier Chandra Mukesh, intervened and argued strongly that the trials had been conducted in accordance with procedure.

Talk to the crewmen, the drivers, gunners, operators… and you’ll get an even clearer endorsement. They all love the modular construction of the Arjun, which makes maintenance so easy. Changing a T-72 engine takes a full day; changing an Arjun engine takes a couple of hours.

Minister of State for Defence Production, Rao Inderjeet Singh recounts, “I’ve spoken, off the record, to officers who have gone through the trials. Even the crews (from 43 Armoured Regiment)… who have been testing the tank… I forced them to choose between the Russian tanks and the Arjun. I said, you’ve driven this tank and you’ve driven that tank (the T-90). Now mark them out of ten, which tank is better? And I’ve found that the Arjun tank was given more numbers than the T-90 tank.”

False argument No 4: The army has several objections to accepting the Arjun. Somebody writes, “After all, this is NOT pakistan where the generals are not accountable to anyone.”

The most astonishing part of the Arjun story is that the army (read DGMF) really doesn’t have a clear list of objections to the Arjun. Their objections vary from day to day, and with who they are talking to. Some of their objections --- such as that of the Arjun’s 60-ton weight --- run counter to the army’s own GSQR.

What is clear is that the MoD is happy with the Arjun. According to the Parliamentary Standing Committee for Defence’s last annual report for 2007-08, the MoD testified before the Committee that the Arjun tank was:

• “A product unique in its class”, and “an improved system over the T-72.”
• “Rs 6-8 crores cheaper than its contemporary system in the West”.
• “Far superior (in firing accuracy) to the other two tanks (T-72 and T-90)”.
• “Driven for over 60,000 kms and fired more than 8,000 rounds. There was no problem.”

So you judge: if that's what the MoD is saying... aren't the generals conveying an entirely false impression?

False argument No 5: The Arjun failed the AUCRT this summer

As I mentioned above, the Arjun performed creditably during the AUCRT, once Renk solved the transmission system problem.

But what is far more important is the fact that AUCRT is not a “performance trials”. It is not possible for a tank to “pass” or “fail” the AUCRT. The purpose of the AUCRT is to run a small number of tanks for thousands of kilometres and make them fire hundreds of rounds, basically putting them through their entire service lifespan in a few months. The aim of doing this is to evaluate what spares get consumed during the life-span of the tank; what maintenance and overhaul tasks should be scheduled at what stage of a tank’s life; an AUCRT evaluates a tank’s logistical needs, not its operational performance.

But when the transmission gave some problems in the first three phases of AUCRT, the DGMF was quick to seize the chance to bad-mouth the tank, and to convey the false impression that the Arjun had “failed its trials”.

THE ONLY TRIALS THAT WILL EFFECTIVELY EVALUATE THE ARJUN’S OPERATIONAL CAPABILITY --- AND THAT TOO IN COMPARISON TO ITS RUSSIAN RIVALS --- ARE COMPARATIVE TRIALS, ORGANISED BY A THIRD PARTY WITHOUT VESTED INTERESTS IN THE OUTCOME. THAT MUST BE DEMANDED BY THE MoD.
 
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The initial list of faults after twenty years of development of Arjun Mk 1 were not encouraging:

  1. Arjun was found to have low accuracy, frequent break-down of power packs and problems with its gun barrel.
  2. The Commanders Periscopic Sight, the Laser Warning Sight and the Muzzle Reference Sight have been found unreliable.
  3. The fire control system in particular has been found unable to perform in temperatures above 42 degrees Celsius.
  4. Since the Arjun extends 6cm beyond the official 3cm limit on either side of a standard Indian flatbed railcar, strategic transport would be extremely difficult. This would also require that India refurbish large sections of her rail network, as well as acquiring new rolling stock.
  5. The German MTU MB 838 Ka-SOl 1 ,4OOhp diesel engine and transmission derated at high temperatures, with an estimated 20-25% power loss from engine to drive sprocket while operating in desert temperatures of 45-500 Celcius.
  6. Ammunition stowage had to be reduced in order to increase engine cooling pack. This powerpack choice also resulted in bulges in the hull side walls.
  7. The problems with the hydropneumatic suspension can possibly be linked to the Arjun's difficulty in climbing sand dunes and other obstacles easily, with a sharp drop in speed in its attempt to do so. CVRDE later rectified the other problems in the hydro-pneumatic suspension.
  8. The defects noticed during the user trials of Mk 1 , including overheating of the engine in Rajasthan desert areas, had been by and large overcome and other complaints were being addressed.
points 1,2 and 7are minor the rest are a big problems

point 3 this would require cooling of the control system which is a big job considering the heat needs to be disapated

4. yeah this needs sorting and it wont be a big problem but i fail to understand why they did not have this in mind when designing the tank in the first place?

5. western tanks are useless in the searing heat thats why they are powerfull but are heavy so its kind of a weird mix russain engines are the way to go the engine in the t-14 are good enough and have differant modes so its not using all of its power when its not needed.

6. this reflects on the bad engine as mentioned in point 5

8. again point 5 and the cooling pack is not doing a very good job cooling.
but if they say it's beating the t90 then why not buy more if you fix the remaining problems which revolve around the engine and its width
 
The only real drawback in Arjun that still remains is the unavailability of a modern APFSDS round, once that's been addressed,Arjun will become the real terror of the deserts!!
PS- I wouldn't mind if our government could look into some Ukrainian goodies for armored vehicles, especially the Duplet ERA, heard some real crazy stuffs about it. :)



We've been pretty clear about this long since as far as I can remember and there ain't no room for any uncertainty over this issue as far as we are concerned.


True but who is to blame for that??The army in general and the ones in the DGMF's office in particular.They are the ones who kept moving the goalposts every time the CVRDE came close to scoring, they moved the dam posts four fucking time within a time period of a freaking decade!!And people just keep blaming the DRDO (I'm not accusing you by the way).

Well, the Arjun project was initiated as a hasty and desperate counter against supposed accusation of M1 Abrams by the Pakistani Army.But the moment you guys decided to go for the T 80UDs, the Army lost its interest right there.

Not possible with a four man crew.If we are to adhere to your suggestions (rather good one imho), then we have to go for a tank with an autoloader, preferably the one mounted inside the turret bustle as in the Leclerc and not like the carousel ones onboard our T series.

That depends on the future of the combat environment. The PA has been toying around with the idea of a "scalpel" tank like the Altay and they might make a decision soon, so perhaps two heavies might be seen in combat. However, considering the number of anti-tank weapons of both man portable and vehicle mounted types in use by both sides; I am sceptical how long any heavy tank would be advantageous.

If goalposts are moved, then too the MoD is at fault. After all, if you are developing something inhouse.. then it falls upon you to ensure that you can aim for what you can actually achieve within that timeline. This will be difficult to swallow for many with your flag, but the JF-17 is an excellent example of knowing what you can achieve and keeping that goal.
 
Army is bribe hungry
rather DRDO is an incompetent organization.. army should be very wary of these guys.. they use publicity and news to push their hardware.. ask public sympathy and show themselves as victim...
 
This "order" news is circulating from time when Mk2 was yet to introduce .......
There is no order for Mk2, at least not yet.



If you consider 2013 figure, then it's 320.
600 AK are planned to be produced by end of 2017 .........



You were humiliated before on this topic when you claimed that Indian T72 with "Battle improved" upgrade is as good as AK can even dream of......
But when technical details were shared, you were no where to found......
Same thing happened in F16MLU upgrade thread two weeks ago.......
So, now I don't take any thing seriously when you show your "expert" opinion about any technical stuff .........

Lol :lol:
1.well they have given a firm order of 124 MK2 and other 220 are in process while they already have 124 in service more orders are expected after the new manufacturing line is oprational they just dont drop out of the sky it takes time and money to make them

as for AK great you have great but arjun is spear heads while T90's gonna be the mainstay with upgraded T72 ajeya will be the third line given top cover by apaches and rudras & LCH so arjun & co wont be coming alone and what do you have to counter them .... ahh i forget your NASR and tactical "atom bomb" :sarcastic:

and though its off topic but what about F16s :what:

thing is till USA cleares its allies like tureky or jordan to sell and then upgrade them they cant do anything so keep dreaming :haha:
 
The Arjun is just another case of moving goalposts with unrealistic ambitions.
To me the idea of a heavy tank in the subcontinent is a quagmire. Our terrain does not permit the sledgehammer rolls anymore and with both sides having anti-tank defences that would make the Maginot line look tame, the best thing that works is fast armour. The Arjun is neither, it is a tank well designed for the counter steamroller approach taken by the Germans against Soviet Russia. Even then, the Leo is a much more agile system; the Arjun plagued by mismanagement.

Currently, the best solution for India lies not in the Arjun but looking to create a midway platform with the T-90 and the Arjun. Although, in my opinion that platform that really fits like a glove to the IBG concept is the Merkava. Being survivable, packing a punch and also able to carry a few troops into combat.

No. All tank designs are evolutionary. No matter what the shortfalls the next tank has to come from the Arjun project only.

Military to foreign vendors arms lobby I can understand but a nexus between our Army and our own PSU makes me :crazy::crazy:

Because Armies prefer battle tested systems that have seen wars. T 90 has a pedigree of the highest sort that any commander won't have a problem seding any of his troops on. Arjun initially, on the other hand didn't even have basic safety features like Belly Hatch as far as I know (I don't know how things are now). Put any active protection systems you want but no commander will take a tank without a belly hatch.
 
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