Waching daily Apr 1 2017

March 13th, 2017

EXCLUSIVE: Big New Hurdle for India's Arjun Battle Tank

India's Arjun main battle tank platform, designed primarily for a war with Pakistan

Has once again hit another major obstacle.

Through its development, the Arjun platform's weight has been the key factor

slowing its acceptance by the Indian Army

The newly upgraded Arjun Mk.II model

of which the Indian Army officially ordered 118 units in 2014,

for deployment in desert regions on the India-Pakistan border

The Indian Army has stated that the 68.6 ton weight of the Arjun Mk.II is too much for seamless application

in semi-developed and developed sectors of the Western Front.

In other words, in the event of hostilities with Pakistan,

The MK.II's weight severely limits its offensive capabilities.

The Indian Army has ordered a complete redesign of the MK.II hull and turret structures.

According to the development group behind the Arjun main battle tank platform,

DRDO (Defence Research and Development Organization of India)

a minimum of 500 tanks must be ordered to break even on development.

However, so far only 118 Arjun MK.II tanks have been produced

and it is uncertain whether the Army will order more

This setback is projected to delay full deployment of MK.II upgrades by 4 - 6 years.