Indian Army gets 'Made in India' Arjun Main Battle Tank
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New Delhi, Feb 15: Prime Minister Narendra Modi handed over the indigenously developed Arjun Main Battle Tank (MK-1A) to the Indian Army at a ceremony in Chennai. The army will get 118 units of the Main Battle Tank, indigenously designed, developed, and manufactured by CVRDE and DRDO along with 15 academic institutions, eight labs and several MSMEs.
The Indian Army said, "It has been indigenously designed and manufactured by the Combat Vehicles Research and Development Establishment of Defence Research and Development Organisation."
Prime Minister said India has undertaken massive effort to become self-reliant in the defence sector. He said, a tank made in Tamil Nadu will be used in our northern borders to keep the nation safe. This showcases India's unity- Bharat's Ekta Darshan”. The Prime Minister said that the focus on making India Aatmanirbhar in the defence sector will keep moving at full speed.
What is the Arjun Main Battle Tank?
DRDO had brought up the Arjun Main Battle Tank project in 1972 with the CVRDE as its lead laboratory. The objective was to create a “state-of-the-art tank with superior fire power, high mobility, and excellent protection”. During the development, the CVRDE achieved breakthroughs in the engine, transmission, hydropneumatic suspension, hull and turret as well as the gun control system. Mass production began in 1996 at the Indian Ordnance Factory’s production facility in Avadi, Tamil Nadu.
How is the Mk-1A different?
The Mk-1A version has 14 major upgrades on the earlier version. It is also supposed to have missile firing capability as per the design, but this feature will be added later as final testing of the capability is still on. However, the biggest achievement with the latest version is 54.3 per cent indeginous content against the 41 per cent in the earlier model.
Among the other projects, the Prime Minister inaugurated the Chennai Metro Rail Phase-I extension, completed at a cost of 3770 crore rupees, and flagged off the passenger services from Washermenpet to Wimco Nagar. This 9.05 km long extension will link North Chennai with the Airport and Central Railway Station.
Other projects inaugurated yesterday include, fourth Railway line between Chennai Beach and Attipattu, Railway Electrification of single line section in Villupuram - Cuddalore - Mayiladuthurai - Thanjavur and Mayiladuthurai-Thiruvarur. The Prime Minister laid the foundation stone for the Discovery Campus of IIT Madras.