‘Make in India’ boost: Govt clears order for 118 Arjun Mk-1A tanks
NEW DELHI: The defence ministry on Tuesday cleared domestic military purchases worth ₹13,700 crore, including army proposals to buy 118 Arjun Mk-1A tanks and equip armoured fighting vehicles (AFVs) with modern protection and countermeasure systems, officials familiar with the development said.
While the new tanks will cost ₹8,380 crore, the protection systems for the army’s fleet of more than 3,000 AFVs (tanks and infantry combat vehicles) will cost ₹5,300 crore, the officials said. The order for the tanks could be placed with the Ordnance Factory Board (OFB) this year, with five tanks to be delivered within 30 months of the signing of the contract, Hindustan Times has learnt. This will be followed by the delivery of 30 tanks every year.
The Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) -- India’s apex procurement body – on Tuesday accorded its acceptance (AoN) of necessity for buying the tanks and the AFV protection systems to provide a push to the government’s Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan (Self-Reliant India campaign). Defence minister Rajnath Singh chaired the DAC meeting.
“Three AoNs for an overall cost of ₹13,700 crore were accorded. All these AoNs are in the highest priority category of defence acquisition…These (systems) will be indigenously designed, developed and manufactured,” the defence ministry said in a statement, without naming the proposals approved.
The proposals cleared include 293 Nag anti-tank missiles developed by DRDO, 13 modified ICVs (called the Nag missile carrier or Namica), eight medium power radars called Arudra and practice ammuntion for T-90 and T-72 tanks, officials said.
The Arjun Mk-1A is an upgraded version of the Arjun Mk-1, currently in army service. The new tank will come with 71 upgrades over the existing variant, said one of the officials cited above. “The precise target tracking of the tank ensures accurate engagement during day and night in both static and dynamic conditions,” the official said.
The Defence Research and Development Organisation’s Chennai-based Combat Vehicles Research and Development Establishment has designed and developed the tank. The tanks will be manufactured at the OFB’s Heavy Vehicles Factory at Avadi, outside Chennai.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi handed over a prototype of the Arjun Mk-1A tank to army chief General Manoj Mukund Naravane in Chennai on February 14, in a clear indication that the order for the 118 tanks was in the pipeline. The prototype was tested for more than 6,000 km across the country’s western sector, followed by 1,500 km of rigorous testing, HT has learnt.
More than 200 companies will be involved in the project, which is expected to generate around 8,000 jobs, said a second official.
Experts said the new tanks and AFV upgrades would boost the fighting potential of the army. “It’s a big leap forward and had been pending for a long time. It will improve the strike capability of the army’s armoured formations. I also see it as a very potent step in the direction of achieving self-reliance in the defence sector,” said former Northern Army commander Lieutenant General BS Jaswal (retd). But some experts flagged concerns about the bulky tank, saying its weight (68 tonnes) would limit the army’s deployment options.