@Oscar
Sir on Mk2 after mk1.
Yes it was decided to go for mk2 quickly because mk1 had some shortfalls.
No, no upgrade to mk2 is being worked upon as of now. Actually , as soon as the first 40 are operational, army will give another follow on order of about 90-100 tanks. In total about 250-300 mk2 would be built over a period of 5 years, starting 2015-2020.
Why we will not go for more than 300? Because by 2020, a lot will change and we will have access to better and improved technology.
Now coming to the shortfalls of mk2.....
You are free to believe me or not,
There are 2 problems, as of now, as explained to me by someone who was linked to mk1 and mk2 initial testings.
1. Its cost, the cost of Arjun is high, much more than T90, also its operational costs till now have been higher. Indian Army, (don't go for 40billion defence budget) have very little to spend on new purchases. Very little, so the scarce resources are being used for 1. Upgrading remaining T72s, 2. Buying new T90s and 3 . Buying new Mk2s.
2. The second problem with mk1, was spares.The spares were late, resulting in half of the mk1 unoperational at any given time. This has been worked upon, and significant improvements will be seen in next 6 months when the reports about operations of mk2 start coming.
And one more thing about its weight, let me be frank, yes its more. So what.... are Merkeva and M1 not working?
On Tejas, our nation was lagging. Nothing more nothing less. Dassault helped us to make an excellent platform, we ruined time again and again. We wasted about 20 years doing nothing about it, not even its screw and nuts.... It was always to be delayed. But all said, it is a very capable platform and quick production and subsequent upgrades will help, also getting in an private partner.
Thanks.
@Tipu7
Sir, T90MS, 300 of them are being provided for MSC only.
