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.
Malhotra adds initial order of 124 Arjuns should not be seen as a cap on acquisition. “The comparative trials would dictate the number of Arjun tanks acquired by the Army in the future.”
The Army continues to be guarded on the issue. “We’re neither categorically accepting or rejecting the Arjun MBT. Any comment will be made after the trials this summer,” said Group Captain R K Das, CPRO (MoD) Kolkata.
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