Arjun Mark II Main Battle Tank,Combat Indian Army
Arjun Mark II Main Battle Tank,Combat Indian Army
The Arjun Mark 2 is an advanced third generation main battle tank and an upgraded version of the Arjun main battle tank with several improvements.It was developed by DRDO .Its development was completed in 2 years owing to experience gained from developing the first version.
After the prolonged development the original Arjun Mk 1 entered service with the Indian Army in 2004.The Arjun MK.2 has the improved protection,fire-power and mobility than its predecessor.The Tank has total of 13 major improvements with 93 of total upgrades.
The Arjun Mark –II tank should replace the ageing Cold War era T-55 and T-72M tanks in service with Indian Army.According to the Ministry of Defence the Arjun Mark-II has the outstanding performance and unrivalled capabilities.
DRDO started production of 124 Arjun Tanks for the Indian Army after the successful trails at Pokhran firing range field Rajathan which has main objective to focus on 19 parameters.
Design,Protection and Features
DESIGN
The Arjun Mark II tank can perform well under various circumstances,such as driving across cross-country over rugged sand Dunes easily,Detecting,observing and quickly engaging targets.
The overall layout of the Arjun Mark II is same as other main battle tanks with the driver’s compartment at the front,Three-man turret in the centre and engine and transmission at the rear.The Arjun Mark II has a crew of four,including commander,gunner,loader and driver.The Driver seat is specially protected by additional protection from mine blast.The Tank has overall length with gun forward is 10.64m,hull length is 8m,width is 3.95m and height is 2.8m and with RCWS 3.18m.
PROTECTION
The Arjun Mark II tank protection includes explosive reactive armour (ERA) system integrated at the front part of the Chassis and the turret.It has enhanced with improved KANCHAN armour,a modular composite armour developed by India.This is the special armour made by sandwiching composite panels between Rolled homogeneous armour (RHA).The armour is capable to defeat APDS,APFSDS and HEAT rounds.
FEATURES
The Arjun Mark II features latest battle tank technologies that makes it a distinct front runner amongst the contemporary Main Battle tanks of modern armies over the world.It is integrated with superior fire power ,high mobility and excellent characteristics that are necessary to fulfil the challenging battlefield requirements of today.Its superior fire power is based on accurate and quick acquisition capability during day and night in all types of weather and shortest possible reaction time during combat engagements.
The tank can perform well under various circumstances,such as driving across cross-country over rugged sand Dunes easily,Detecting,observing and quickly engaging targets.The tank is capable of accurately hitting the targets both stationary and moving with the pin point accuracy. The fire control system has the hit probability of more than 90% when firing on Move.
Engine and Performance
The Arjun Mark II is integrated with a A German 10 Cylinder,V-90 turbocharged water cooled diesel enginethat is capable of developing 1030 KW at 2400 rpm.It is equipped with epicyclic transmission with hydrodynamic torque converter,mechanical lock up clutch and hydrodynamic retarder with 4 forward and 2 reverse gears.
It has advanced hydro-pneumatic suspension system which consists of each side of seven dual rubber-tyred road-wheels with the drive sprocket at the rear,idler at the front and track-return rollers.
The 55 ton Tank can move with the maximum speed of 58km/h at road and at cross country 40km/h.The tank has the operational range of 500Km.It has advanced hydro-pneumatic suspension system which consists of each side of seven dual rubber-tyred road-wheels with the drive sprocket at the rear,idler at the front and track-return rollers.The armour plates protects the upper part of suspension.Additionally two diesel fuel drums are fitted at the rear for increasing the cruising range.The tank has a gradient of 30% and vertical step of 910mm.
Armaments
The front of the chassis integrated with a track width mine plough to give vehicle ability to move on every track and clear the path easily.A Remote Controlled Weapon Station mounted on top of the turret with 12.7mm NSVT machine gun.
Main Armament: A 120mm rifled gun fitted with thermal sleeve,fume extractor and a muzzle reference system.
Ammunition of Gun: FSAPDS (Fin Stabilized Armour-Piercing Discarding Sabot),HESH (High-Explosive Squash Head),PCB,TB and the Israeli Laser Hominh Anti-Tank(LAHAT) missile.
Warheads:Tandem warhead capable of defeating modern armour.High penetration capability of warhead allows the missile to penetrate the armour of major armoured vehicles at high impact angels.
The Arjun Mark II can carry of 39 rounds in special blast proof canisters.A 7.62 mm machine gun mounted coaxially,A Remote Controlled Weapon Station mounted on top of the turret with 12.7mm NSVT machine gun.It is also equipped with bank of eight 81 mm grenade launchers mounted on each side of the rear part of the turret.
Avionics and Accessories
The Arjun Mark II is fitted with a computerised day/thermal fire control system .The commander with a new panoramic sighting system is mounted on the right side of the turret roof .The system includes a laser range finder and hunter capability.The gunner sight is fitted with an automatic target tracker having the accurate target engagement capability.
The tank has unrivalled self-protection system which features a laser warning and countermeasure system (ALWACS) that mounted on each side of the turret.
The tank has unrivalled self-protection system which features a laser warning and countermeasure system (ALWACS) that mounted on each side of the turret.The four ALWACS elements are mounted at each corner of the turret to provide 360 degree coverage.The system has capability of detection laser threats and it can fire smoke grenades form an independent rotary launcher.The front of the chassis integrated with a track width mine plough to give vehicle ability to move on every track and clear the path easily.
Other Equipments of Arjun Mark II includes a thermal night vision sight for the driver,and advanced land navigation system which provide inertial and GPS based navigation,NBC protection system,Fume extractor system,auxiliary power unit and integrated fire detection and suspension system.The tank also has the auxiliary power unit which powers all system when the engine is turned off.
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