IPCS Special Report 23 June 2006 ARJUN: INDIA’S MAIN BATTLE TANK (MBT) FROM T-80 TO GENERATION NEXT Mallika Joseph Assistant Director, IPCS Three decades after the first MBT-80 despite stinging criticism, the DRDO proof of concept vehicle was unveiled, has finally managed to roll out a tank five Arjun tanks, along with T 72 and that started out as a MBT-80 but T 90 tanks, will be handed over to the resulted in something equaling the top Army in June 2006. This batch MBTs of the world – Abrahms, Leclerc constitutes the first delivery of the and Leopard. order of 124 tanks placed by the A comparison of the Arjun tank’s Indian Army. While flagging off the specifications, with the acclaimed Bogie Flat Arjun Tank (BFAT) in MBTs and the best MBT in Indian Bangalore on 27 May 2006, Chief of possession (Bhishma), reveals that Army Staff General JJ Singh said that Arjun is not only on par with them, the tanks were expected to be but better than them in firing capacity inducted into the Army after the field and battle survivability. trials. The three decades that have gone into producing an MBT, that is Three key factors adjudge the quality acceptable to the Army, are dotted of any MBT. They are mobility, with adverse publicity. To begin with, weapon systems, and battle the locally developed engine failed to survivability. Lets see how the Arjun perform to expectations. This was fares. followed by the unsatisfactory performance of the fire control system, that produced an erratic first hit rate ranging from 20-80 percent. Apart from its heavy weight, the tank was also larger than the tanks that can be transported by standard Indian railcars: it extends 6 cms beyond the allowed 3 cm on other side of the railcar. All this meant an extension of the project beyond the mandated timeframe and budget. Nevertheless, INSTITUTE OF PEACE AND CONFLICT STUDES B-7/3, Safdarjung Enclave, New Delhi 91-11-4100 1900 (Tel); 91-11-4165 2560 (Fax) Website: www.ipcs.org IPCS Special Report 23 June 2006 MOBILITY tons and with much higher ground To begin with, though the weight of pressure, performed remarkably well the tank if often cited as a failure, in in the desert sands during the first actuality, the tank is not very heavy as Gulf War. The Arjun tank is not only compared to other tanks in its more agile that the T-90S Bhishma, category. Despite its weight, it has with a maximum speed of 72 km/h, very low ground pressure which will but also exerts less ground pressure, prevent the tank from ‘sinking in the thereby significantly reducing the sand’ as widely criticized. The M1A2, chance of ‘sinking’ in. heavier than Arjun by more than 10 Abrams T-90S Specifications Leopard 2 Leclerc Arjun M1A2 Bhishma Crew 4 4 3 3 4 Combat weight 69.54 tons 60.79 tons 54.5 tons 46.5 tons 58.5 tons Ground Pressure 15.4 PSI 11.8 PSI 13.5 PSI 12.5 PSI 11.9 PSI 1500 hp 1500 hp 1500 hp 1000 hp 1500 hp Engine turbine diesel diesel diesel diesel Max road speed 68 km/h 72 km/h 71 km/h 65 km/h 72 km/h Cross-country speed 48 km/h 40 km/h 50 km/h 45 km/h 40 km/h Protection against Nuclear, Biological yes yes yes yes yes and Chemical Warfare Armament 120 mm M256 120 mm M256 120 mm 125 mm 120 mm Main gun smoothbore smoothbore smoothbore smoothbore rifled APFSDS APFSDS-T APFSDS and APFSDS and APFSDS, HEAT Ammunition Type HEAT HEAT and HESH 7.62 M 240 7.62 mm 7.62 mm 7.62 mm 7.62 mm Co-axial machine gun machine gun machine gun machine gun PKT PKT .52 Cal M2 7.62 anti-aircraft 12.7 mm 12.7 NVST 12.7 NVST Machine gun machine gun machine gun machine gun machine gun machine gun Thermal Imager Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Rangefinder Laser Laser Laser Laser Laser Price $ 5.4 mn $ 4.5 mn $ 4.5 mn $ 2.8 mn $ 4 mn WEAPONS (High Explosive Anti Tank) and HESH The main armament is a 120 mm rifled (High Explosive Squash Head) gun. This is in contrast to the 120 mm projectiles. A smoothbore gun can fire smoothbore gun sported by other only APFSDS and HEAT projectiles tanks in this category. The crucial but not HESH ones. difference with the rifled gun is that it can fire APFSDS (Armor Piercing Fin What is so special about HESH? HESH Stabilized Discarding Sabot), HEAT rounds have a high explosive content 2 ARJUN: INDIA’S MAIN BATTLE TANK that spreads itself on the surface of the Industries’ (IAI) MBT division, has target upon impact. It does not possess already been successfully tested on the the armor piercing ability of the HEAT Arjun. It has a range of upto 8 kms, or APFSDS projectiles. However, the much beyond the conventional shock wave it creates upon impact capability of 2.5 km and beyond visual travels through the armor and results range. The tank’s fire control system in metal parts inside the compartment includes the laser designator which to spall off and fly damaging weapon will project a laser beam on the target. systems, igniting fuel and The special feature is that the target ammunition in its way and designation can be done by another particularly causing injury and death tank, or a ground laser designator, and to the crew members. It has been the target need not necessarily be in argued that current armored fighting the line of sight to the platform firing vehicles with composite or layered the missile. The missile weighing 13 armor are safe against HESH as the kgs has a high penetration capability shock wave is not carried inside. In and there are no known defenses for addition, there exists some level of armored vehicles against LAHAT. controversy over whether the reactive armor found on most MBTs effectively BATTLE SURVIVABILITY counters the shockwave or adds to the The Arjun tank uses the indigenously blast and shock effect. However, the designed and developed ‘Kanchan’ Defence Research and Development composite armor which is designed to Organization (DRDO) claims that the provide protection superior to similar HESH ammunition, designed by it, amour on other tanks. The ‘Kanchan’ has the ability to strip off the explosive amour has been successfully tested reactive armor (ERA) and incapacitate against fire from APFSDS, HEAT and the crew severely. Apart from having HESH ammunitions. Experts who saw a deadly effect on previous generation the MBT in the DEFEXPO 2004 did tanks, it also has its use against concede that the build appeared fortifications. In the Arjun tank, the “much stronger that that of T-72 or T- HESH is the secondary ammunition 90S.” and is aimed against soft targets, tanks and fortifications; APFSDS projectiles are the primary anti-tank ammunition Another feature that sets the Arjun apart from other tanks is its ability to fire while on the move. The computerized fire control system currently aboard Arjun has been jointly developed with the Israelis. The The integrated fire and explosion tank has a thermal imager apart from suppression system aboard Arjun is a laser finder for target designation. state-of-the-art technology with infra- However, significant among Arjun’s red detectors, that can detect and firepower is its ability to fire the suppress hydro-carbon fuel/explosion LAHAT (Laser-Homing Anti-Tank) within 200 milliseconds in the crew missile. The LAHAT, designed and compartment and within 15 seconds in developed by the Israeli Aircraft the engine compartment. Arjun uses 3 INSTITUTE OF PEACE AND CONFLICT STUDES B-7/3, Safdarjung Enclave, New Delhi 91-11-4100 1900 (Tel); 91-11-4165 2560 (Fax) IPCS Special Report 23 June 2006 the Halon fire extinguishing system, MBT, but also gave rise to the similar to the one in the Abrams MBT, skepticism that the purchase of the T- which can automatically activate 90S from Russia was designed to kill within 2 milliseconds of either a flash the Arjun project. The successful or a fire. The tank also has protection completion of the Arjun project aims against nuclear, biological and to put to rest these concerns. While the chemical weapons. DRDO does deserve credit for the project, the army too could be given However, the specialty of the tank lies some credit, for it can be argued that if in its battlefield management system not for the uncompromising and (BMS) which facilitates tactical scathing criticism from the Army, the command as well as control and Ajun would have ended up as an communications between one tank obsolete T-80 tank and not a state-of- and the rest of the team. A touch the-art next generation tank. screen BMS for quick access, and an integrated Global Positioning System, enhances the efficiency of the tanks. REFERENCES 1. “Main Battle Tank Arjun” at Like most tanks in this category, the http://www.drdo.com/products/ Arjun tank also accommodates four mbt.htm crew members. While a three member 2. http://www.drdo.com/pub/techf crew with autoloaders could have ocus/feb02/arjun.htm increased the rate of fire from the 3. http://www.drdo.com/products/ currently 6-8 rounds/minute, a four mbt.htm member crew helps the crew to 4. http://www.drdo.com/pub/nl/ undertake more maintenance related may2004/newdev.htm work with less fatigue. 5.