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.
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.
