PM Modi to dedicate Arjun tank to nation on Sunday

In yet another boost for Make in India in defence Prime Minister Narendra Modi will dedicate the Main Battle Tank Arjun Mark1A to the nation on Sunday. In a high-level meeting, the Defence Ministry recently cleared the induction of 118 Arjun Mark1A tanks into the Indian Army which would be worth around Rs 8,400 crore and would add to the strength of the force in land warfare.

The tank has been fully designed and developed by the DRDO in close coordination with the Indian Army. The 118 tanks would be joining the fleet of the first batch of 124 Arjun tanks which have already been inducted into the Army and are deployed in the western desert along the Pakistan front. The 118 Arjun tanks would also form two regiments in the Armoured Corps of the Indian Army like the first 124 tanks. Officials said the Army has reduced the number of tanks required for formation of a tank regiment and that is why the present order has six lesser tanks than the previous order for two regiments. The Arjun has been designed by the DRDO’s Combat Vehicles Research and Development Establishment (CVRDE) and DRDO Chairman Satheesh Reddy will hand the first Arjun Mark 1A to Prime Minister Modi.