Arjun Tanks To Be Inducted Into Army Soon: Army Chief J.J. Singh

Arjun Tanks To Be Inducted Into Army Soon: Army Chief J.J. Singh
Indian Army Chief General J J Singh today said that the Army would receive 14 Main Battle Tank (MBT) Arjun very soon. "The minor problems of these tanks have been communicated to the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), which we hope will be rectified soon," General Singh said while inaugurating the Reunion of the Maratha Light Infantry (MARATHA LI).
Originally intended to be a 40-ton MBT armed with a 105 mm gun, the Arjun’s project requirements were upgraded to 58.5 tons with a 120 mm gun. The project has had a protracted developmental time, thanks to the design needing to be adapted for the harsh operational conditions in India, the ever-changing Requirements from the Army and the lack of a prior heavy tank building industry in India.
In the process of developing the Arjun, India established the infrastructure to develop and manufacture modern armour. The Heavy Vehicles Factory located in Avadi, India is the facility that has been producing prototypes and pre-production models. The HVF has produced T-72s and Vickers medium tanks in the past, and the Arjun is seen as a significant challenge. The Indian Army has 124 Arjuns on order.
The first 15 tanks of the 124 have already been activated. Of the remaining 109 tanks, the Indian Army is currently putting the first five tanks from the production lines at Avadi, through accelerated build quality and reliability trials. The intent is to verify whether the Arjun production has stabilized, with the requisite quality and performance requirements. Upon successful completion, the remaining 104 tanks will be manufactured in batches. The planned production rate is currently pegged at thirty tanks per year, with the Army requesting fifty per year as the ideal.
On Oct. 13th 2006, the Indian Minister of Defence reported that the Arjun was slated for full scale production soon.
* A 155 mm self-propelled howitzer variant of the Arjun (labelled 'Bhim') has been prototyped by fitting the South African Denel T6 turret, which comes with the G5 howitzer to the Arjun chassis. This project has been delayed as DENEL has become embroiled in a corruption scandal in India, and hence the Indian Ministry of Defence has suspended the Bhim.
* A bridge layer based on the Arjun chassis has also been displayed by the DRDO. Developed in cooperation with Indian industry, this bridge layer is deemed superior to the T-72 based units, as it can handle a larger load and uses a "scissors type" bridgelaying method, which does not raise the bridge high up into the air, and hence make it visible from afar.
* Armoured engineering vehicles based on the Arjun are also assumed to be in development, as the Arjun induction will require units of a similar power to weight ratio or powerful enough to tow it, or recover it on the battlefield.