Indian Army abandons plans to order more Arjuns

The Indian army has confirmed that it will not place additional orders for the locally designed Arjun main battle tank (MBT) beyond the 124 already under construction.

DRDO tries to ram Arjun tanks down Army throat
12 Jul 2008, 0051 hrs IST, Rajat Pandit,TNN

NEW DELHI: A war has erupted in the Indian defence establishment over the indigenous Arjun main-battle tank (MBT), once again. After Army made it quite clear it did not want more than the 124 Arjuns already ordered, Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has fired a retaliatory salvo.

Seeking the government's intervention to ensure "indigenous efforts" are "appropriately rewarded", DRDO says Army should order a minimum of 500 Arjuns to stabilise production lines and pave the way for the development of a "futuristic" MBT.

"We are working on the development of a futuristic Mark-II MBT with suitable technological upgrades, which can be introduced later after the completion of production of at least 500 Arjuns of the present version," said a DRDO official.

Nothing doing, responds Army. "Our requirement for 1,781 MBTs to replace the older T-55 and T-72 tanks will be met through the progressive induction of 1,657 Russian-origin T-90S tanks and 124 Arjuns," said a senior officer.

After getting 310 T-90S tanks for over Rs 3,625 crore under a February 2001 contract, India signed a Rs 4,900 crore deal with Russia last November to import another 347 T-90S tanks. The Avadi Heavy Vehicles Factory, in turn, has also begun the licensed manufacture of another 1,000 T-90S tanks.

Moreover, the ongoing upgradation of 692 T-72 tanks to "combat-improved Ajeya standards", of which 415 have already been delivered, will add more punch to India's armoured might.

"So, we have already catered for adequate numbers. We are now looking 20 years ahead and want DRDO to come up with a next-generation MBT. We are not against indigenous efforts...let DRDO make something better," said the officer.

DRDO, however, is crying foul over moves to demand "higher performance" from the 58.5-tonne Arjuns, which are "superior" to even the 46.5-tonne T-90s in some respects like its "excellent weight-to-power ratio and very accurate firepower on the move".

With 64 of the 124 Arjuns already ready for delivery, DRDO holds that the Army is shying away from "comparative trials" between them and the T-90S tanks, which interestingly enough have been christened "Bhishma".

While acknowledging that the Arjun project was sanctioned as far back as in 1974 at a cost of Rs 15.50 crore, which zoomed up to Rs 300 crore by 1995, DRDO says one of the main reasons for the delay was the frequently changing "qualitative requirements" of the Army.

"Development of tanks of similar capabilities in a foreign country will cost 10 times the development cost we have incurred in India. The present cost of one Arjun is Rs 16.80 crore, while it is around Rs 12 crore for the T-90S. Arjun's cost compares favourably with contemporary western MBTs, which cost Rs 17 crore to Rs 24 crore," said a DRDO official.

Admitting there are "teething problems in productionization", DRDO says the process will "mature and stabilize" only after 200 to 300 tanks have actually been produced. "Consequently, we need patronage in terms of more orders for Arjuns. Since it's an indigenous tank, it will be all the more easier to bring upgrades and use it as a viable platform for futuristic development," he said.

By Ritu Sharma
New Delhi, July 13 (IANS) The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has installed a black box-like instrument in the indigenous main battle tank (MBT) Arjun, under development for nearly 36 years, following attempts to “sabotage” its engine. The instrument was installed after the Indian Army termed the winter trial of the Arjun tank a “failure”. Attempts to sabotage the trials of the Arjun tank have failed after the black box was installed, said authorities.

“The German company Renk AG supplying the engines for the Arjun tank stumbled upon the tinkering with its engines after a complaint from the Indian Army that the tank’s gear box failed during its winter trials in Pokhran and Mahajan field range,” a DRDO official told IANS, speaking on condition of anonymity.

“Following this we have installed an instrument similar to the data recorder or black box in aircraft that would record all the information related to the engines,” he added.

The army had told a key parliamentary panel earlier this month that the Arjun tank failed to deliver at the just-concluded winter trials. The army said that many improvements had to be carried out before it was satisfied with the tank.

After the complaint, engineers from the German company were summoned to have a look at the tank while a special team was sent to Germany.

“Army officials were curious to know about the new instrument, which was installed before the summer trials, which has been successful,” the official said.

Minister of State for Defence (Production) Rao Inderjit Singh has also hinted at a conspiracy to “sabotage” the Arjun tank in April.

“The possibility of sabotage needs to be examined. The engines fitted in the tanks were German and were performing well for the past 15 years. I wonder what has happened to them overnight,” Singh had said, talking about the reported failures of the tank.

However, the army has denied the allegations of sabotage.

The startling revelation from the DRDO has come even as the Indian Army seems to have sounded the death knell for the Arjun tanks, saying it would purchase no more than the 124 it had signed a contract for.

Fourteen Arjun tanks were handed over to the Indian Army for user trials last year but were returned to the manufacturer - the Combat Vehicles Development Establishment - with a list of defects.

These included a deficient fire control system, inaccuracy of its guns, low speeds in tactical areas - principally the desert - and the tank’s inability to operate in temperatures over 50 degrees Celsius.

The army had laid down its qualitative requirement (QR) for the Arjun in 1972. In 1982, it was announced that the prototype was ready for field trials. However, the tank was publicly unveiled for the first time only in 1995.

Arjun was originally meant to be a 40-tonne tank with a 105 mm gun. It has now grown to a 50-tonne tank with a 120 mm gun.

The tank was to supplement and eventually replace the Soviet-era T-72 MBT that was first inducted in the early 1980s.

However, delays in the Arjun project, and Pakistan’s decision to purchase the T-80 from Ukraine, prompted India to order 310 T-90s, an upgraded version of the T-72, in 2001.

Of these, 186 were assembled from kits at the HVF at Avadi. An agreement was also signed for the licensed production of another 1,000 T-90s.

With the development of the Arjun delayed further, India last year signed a fresh contract with Russia to buy another 330 T-90s.

Sourthen Afghanistan, Helmand Province.
25-07-2008

Early friday morning a tank from the Danish tank platoon "LOKE" hit an IED or mine. The tank platoon was assisting Afgan soldiers and their British and Armerican advisers after they had come under fire in the dessert north of Forward Operating Base Attal - The northen most FOB in the Danish AOR.

The tank platoon was sent from FOB Armadillo to assist the Afghans and ISAF forces when it also came under fire. During the following maneuvers a tank hit a mine or an IED. One Danish soldier was killed in the explosion and 3 others wounded.
The 3 wounded where taken to Camp Bastion and are undergoing treatment for their injuries.

Kann hier jemand dänisch?

Wie stark ist denn die Wannenpanzerung beim Leopard 2A5 DK?
Ich habe da noch irgendwas im Hinterkopf das das Schutzniveau höher ist als bei den gewöhnlichen A5. Entspricht das schon dem A6?

South Korea has signed a contract regarding the transfer of tank development technology with Turkey, the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) announced Tuesday.

The deal, valued at $400 million, is the nation's second largest arms export after a $1-billion license deal over the indigenous K-9 self-propelled howitzer, again with Turkey in 2001.

Under the deal, South Korea will help Turkey develop a semi-indigenous main battle tank by 2015 through the transfer of its technology related to the design and development of K1A1 and XK2 tanks, Lee Jae-nam, senior vice president of Hyundai Rotem Company, the developer of the indigenous battle tanks, told reporters.

South Korea will transfer key technologies regarding engine, gunnery and snorkeling systems to Turkey, which initially wants to build about 250 advanced main battle tanks, said Lee.

Seoul will provide more than 60 percent of the technology required to build the Turkish tanks, he noted.

Für all den ihn noch nicht haben. Hier kann man sich den BW Plan 09 runterladen:
- http://www.geopowers.com/Machte/Deutschlan...stung_2008.html

MFG
ironduke57

Für 150 KPz konnte erstmals die Anpassung an das gesamte Einsatzspektrum Berücksichtigung finden. Dies schließt das Einrüsten der Energiegewinnung und Kampfraumkühlanlage zum Erweitern des klimatischen Einsatzbereichs und weiterer Minenschutzausstattungen ein.
Für 50 KPz kann auch die Anpassung für Operationen im urbanen Umfeld realisiert werden.

Letzte Woche berichteten internationale Medien, Russland wolle die amerikanischen ABM-Pläne in Europa mit einer Stationierung von Iskander-Raketenkomplexen in Syrien erwidern.

Wie Assad sagte, hatte Syrien bereits vor einigen Jahren den Erwerb dieser Raketen zur Sprache gebracht.

Der Ritt auf dem Verschluss...

Also in Südossetien hab ich ihn bisher noch nicht entdecken können.

In Südossetien sind die 58te Armee und die 76te Luftlandedivision aktiv. Letztere hat rund 210 BMD-1 (!), beide sind aber auch allgemein entsprechend dem Hauptauftrag des Nordkaukauskommandos eher ... zweitrangig ausgestattet.

Von "flächendeckend" kann eh nicht die Rede sein - gibt schließlich nur rund 500 BMD-3, aber so was um die 10-12 Divisionen (inkl. z.B. Gebirgsjäger, Marineinfantrie) mit je einem Bedarf von rund 200 Stück.

Am gestrigen Donnerstag hat das russische Militär eine ballistische Kontinentalrakete getestet. Die Rakete vom Typ PC-12M Topol, bei der Nato als SS-25 bezeichnet, sei im nordrussischen Plessetzk abgeschossen worden, sagte ein Sprecher der strategischen Streitkräfte nach Angaben der russischen Nachrichtenagentur RIA Nowosti.Bei dem "Routinetest" habe man Material für potentielle Kampfeinsätze gegen Boden-Raketen getestet, hieß es. Die Topol flog rund 6000 Kilometer und ging auf der russischen Halbinsel Kamtschatka nieder.

Hmmm....

Naja...
weiß er es wirklich oder ist das nur "hörensagen"???

Ich habe davon bisher noch nichts gehört.