CVRDE associate director R Jayakumar said the only common feature between Nakul and the current version of the Arjun is the barrel. “The rest of the turret has been revamped, including the gun control and fire control. Also, as a proactive measure, we will incorporate 12 futuristic technology systems include automatic target tracking, defensive aids, laser warning, tank simulator systems and also automate target tracking,” Jayakumar told The Indian Express.

DRDO officials say the upcoming comparative trials would decide the operational role of the Arjun, such as “strike” and “shock-and-awe”. The T-90 weighs less than 50 tonnes, while the Arjun weighs 58.5 tonnes and is comparable to the American M1A1 Abrams (67 tons), British Challenger (65), German Leopard (68) and Israeli Merkava (67). “We prefer to compare apples with apples, not apples with oranges,” Jayakumar says.

Claiming to have overcome problems including engine trouble and overheating, the DRDO wants to bid for more orders for Arjun from the Army, and is expecting new requirements from the Army. For comparative trials, tentatively scheduled in May, the CVRDE will be sending a full squadron (20) of tanks.

The Army had said after the 2007 winter trials that the Arjun had “failed” in several parameters. Following trials in 2008 summer, the Army’s evaluation of the Arjun has changed, says Jayakumar. “The tanks covered 8,000 km and over 800 rounds were fired during the latest trials without any hitches.”

“It is a misconception that the Arjun has overshot its budget. Till November 1985, only Rs 15 crore were allocated for competence-building and technology. Based on the results, the project was sanctioned that year and an additional Rs 305 crore were allocated. In March 2000, we got the go-ahead to begin production and delivered 15 prototypes for evaluation,” Jayakumar says.

... contd.