In the annals of military procurement, India’s journey with its domestic Arjun Main Battle Tank (MBT) will be remembered for its high ambitions and the tribulations that followed. Developed to spearhead the modernization of India’s armored corps after the 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War, the Arjun MBT has encountered a series of setbacks, which, according to reports as recent as February 2024, have led to production stagnations and technical snafus. An alarming figure published in 2015 indicated that 75% of the Arjun fleet was non-operational due to spare parts shortages and various system failures—a situation exacerbated by the difficulties of importing the necessary components. This operational void has predictably nudged India closer to Russia as its principal supplier of MBTs, with the Russian T-90s becoming the favored armored workhorses for the Indian Army.
The ambition behind the Arjun Tank was palpable from the start. It was designed with advanced features like the Kanchan armor and a 120mm rifled gun, expected to give it a competitive edge over contemporaries. The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), India’s premier agency tasked with the MBT’s development, has made significant strides despite the obstacles. Notably, the DRDO showcased its capability to maintain and repair the German-made 1400 HP engine of the Arjun Mk-1 without foreign assistance in 2014. This development is crucial, considering the engine’s manufacturer, MTU, has intimated a delay of four years to reinstate the production line, causing ripple effects on the tank program’s momentum.
Compounding the domestic challenges, geopolitical factors have not been lenient on the Arjun MBT project. German regulations on arms exports, with their emphasis on human rights and regional stability, have intermittently disrupted the supply of critical components like engines. Such international dependencies have laid bare the vulnerabilities of India’s defense procurement strategy, driving a more concerted push towards self-reliance. The DRDO’s efforts to introduce an indigenous powerplant, the DATRAN 1500 HP diesel engine, signal a pivot toward reducing external dependencies.
Despite the DRDO’s determination to bring the Arjun tank up to speed, the Indian Army’s preference for the Russian T-90 MBTs has been a thorn in the project’s side. Trials conducted in Rajasthan in 2010 demonstrated the Arjun’s superiority in gunnery and cross-country mobility over the T-90s. Yet, procurement has been marred by continuous roadblocks, with the army underscoring the Arjun’s weight—a colossal 68.5 tonnes after modifications—as a major impediment to its operational deployment, especially along the border with Pakistan.
In 2021, India ordered 118 Arjun Mark 1-A Main Battle Tanks (MBTs), commonly known as ‘Hunter Killers,’ for INR 7,523 crore ($900 million).
The Arjun Mk-1A is an upgraded version of the Arjun Mk-1 tank, currently in use by the army. This new model, the Mark 1-A, shows a notable advancement in technology compared to its predecessor, the Mark-1. It includes more indigenous elements and introduces improvements like a 120mm rifled gun and Kanchan armor for increased firepower and defense.
Relevant articles:
– Arjun Tank Project Could Suffer Another Devastating Delay, Thanks To Army’s Decades-Long Reluctance To Back It, Swarajya
– Germany ‘Derails’ Arjun Mk-1A Tank Project By ‘Delaying’ Engines; Indian Military Experts Decode MTU Move, EurAsian Times
– MBT Arjun Tank, drdo.gov.in
– Why India’s Arjun Tank Program Failed Miserably, The National Interest, Nov 18, 2021