Army to rectify Arjun146;s mobility defects

The first lot of the indigenous Arjun Main Battle Tanks, which made their debut at the ongoing corps level war-game in the deserts of Rajasthan...

The first lot of the indigenous Arjun Main Battle Tanks MBT, which made their debut at the ongoing corps level war-game in the deserts of Rajasthan, will be scrutinised by Army Chief General JJ Singh during field trials scheduled for July this year at the Mahajan field firing range. After a two-month exercise here, the Army has recognised persisting 8220;mobility defects8221; in the tank, problems that have dogged the tank programme for years.

Regarding the performance of a squadron of 15 MBT Arjuns from the Bikaner-based 43 Armoured Regiment, General Singh said today, 8220;We don8217;t want to be at a disadvantage when we are challenged. We cannot put the lives of our men in danger on account of malfunctioning of any component of the tank. The concerns will be addressed.8221;

Highly placed sources said the Arjun squadron, which has been deployed in the five-day Army exercise 8216;Ashwamedha8217; in Rajasthan, had serious problems in its torsion bar, which broke owing to jerks while speed driving. Besides, the leakage in the hydro pneumatic suspension system, the tanks8217; German MTU 838 Ka-501 engine is also a cause of concern.

Exercise results till the fourth-day showed that the tank was neither ready for induction nor was suitable for war-maneuvers. A personnel said that the height of the tank was also not suited for wars.

Other challenges gripping the tank were the non-integration of the fire control system and the gunner8217;s main sight. According to a source, the sight, which may have two in ten chances of falling, could be entertained as those two chances could be predicted in a real war. The fire control system, which took into account the wind, heat and internal temperature, had to be integrated for accurate firing. The turret made of Kanchan armour is the only thing that the DRDO can boast of.

The Directorate General Mechanised Forces of the Army has made it clear that the Arjun, in its present state, was unacceptable to the Army, said a source. With a cost overrun of almost 20 times the original estimate, this appears to be the highest percentage overrun for any DRDO project so far.