Context
The Ministry of Defence placed an order worth Rs 7,523 crore to Heavy Vehicles Factory (HVF), Chennai for supply of 118 units of the Main Battle Tank Arjun’s Mark-1A variant for the Army.
Key-highlights
- The state–of-the-art MBT Mk-1A is a new variant of Arjun Tank designed to enhance fire power, mobility and survivability.
- The Mark-1A variant adds 72 new features — 14 major and 58 minor — to the previous variant Mark-1.
- The new battle tanks will have superior firepower, all-terrain mobility and multi-layered protection compared to older models.
- Known as the “hunter killers”, the latest version of the tank is equipped with a massive 120 mm rifled gun and Kanchan armour, making it the most potent armoured system in the inventory of the army.
- This tank is particularly configured and designed for Indian conditions and hence it is suitable for deployment to protect the frontiers in an effective manner.
- Developed by: The MBT Arjun Mk-1A has been designed and developed by Combat Vehicles Research and Development Establishment (CVRDE), along with other laboratories of DRDO.
The order
- The new tanks, developed by DRDO , will be manufactured at the government’s Heavy Vehicles Factory in Chennai.
- The production of these tanks will open up avenues in defence manufacturing for over 200 Indian vendors with employment opportunities to around 8,000 people
About Arjun tank
- Arjun has been a mainstay of the Army for the last 15 years.
- The Arjun tank is a third generation main battle tank developed by the Combat Vehicles Research and Development Establishment (CVRDE) of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), for the Indian Army.
- It is a state-of-the-art tank with superior fire power, high mobility, and excellent protection.
