Indian Military

[PTI] The Army is likely to place more orders for indigenous DRDO-developed Arjun tanks after completion of the comparative trials it would be put through with the Russian-origin T-90 tanks later this year. “After completion of the comparative trials between Arjun and T-90s. We are waiting for it. Then we will decide on future orders (of Arjun for the Army),”

Defence Production Secretary R K Singh told reporters here today. Both the tanks would be put through tests to record their performances in various weather, terrain and night-and-day conditions to determine which one of them is effective in the middle of this year. The Army, which is at present looking for a futuristic main battle tank for induction and operation after 2020, has already indicated that it would not place any more orders for Arjun apart from the 124 already ordered in 2004. “The Request for Proposals (as tenders are called in defence parlance) does not state that the orders will be restricted to the 124 tanks,” Singh said to a question in this regard. In the last couple of years, the Avadi-based Heavy Vehicles Factory (HVF) delivered a total of 45 tanks to the Army to complete a regiment, which is under going conversion trials by personnel at present. Singh said both Arjuns and T-90s were “good” tanks in their own class and that the former’s performance was found to be good, when he visited HVF to witness the tank’s production and operation.