The Ministry of Defence (MoD) on Thursday said that it has placed an order worth over Rs 7,500 crore to Heavy Vehicles Factory (HVF), Chennai for supply of as many as 118 units of Main Battle Tank (MBT) Arjun’s Mark-1A variant for the Indian Army. However, the updates in this new variant and the strategic importance of this acquisition is on the news.

The Indian Express reported that the development of indigenous Main Battle Tank Arjun was started by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) in the late 1980s primarily to augment the predominantly Russian-made armoured fleet.

The earliest variant began in early 1990s and the tank was inducted in 2004. The work on its new variant Arjun Mark 1A began in June 2010 and the tank was fielded for trials by the Indian Army in June 2012. For the next three years, extensive trial evaluations were conducted both by the DRDO and the Army.

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The new variant adds as many as 72 new features, which include 14 major additions and 58 minor ones, to the earlier Arjun Mark-1 variant. These additions have resulted in better all-terrain mobility and maneuverability in different modes of operation, better target acquisition and precision firing, both during the day and night with a 360 degree view.

The Defence Ministry has said that the Mark-1A has more indigenous content from the Mark-1 variant, thus reducing the dependence on foreign vendors for key components.

The new variant is also said to have added some comfort features for the four-member crew, which operates in the toughest possible conditions when deployed and also has a better transmission system.

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In a press statement, the defence ministry said, “By virtue of these capabilities, this indigenous MBT proves to be at par with any contemporary in its class across the globe. 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.”

The defence ministry has said that the order will provide further boost to the “Make in India” initiative in the defence sector and is a big step towards achieving “Aatmanirbhar Bharat”.

It can be seen that the development of the MBT Arjun Mark 1A was led by Chennai-based DRDO facility Combat Vehicles Research and Development Establishment (CVRDE) along with other DRDO laboratories.

It can be recalled that in February Prime Minister Narendra Modi had handed over the prototype MBT Arjun Mk-1A to Chief of Army Staff General M M Naravane at a ceremony held in Chennai.