Adding Muscle To Army: Order Placed For 118 Tanks Worth Rs 7,523 Crore

New Delhi: The Union Defence ministry on Thursday placed an order for 118 locally-made Arjun Mk-1A tanks worth Rs 7,523 crore.

The tanks, which will sharpen the Army’s combat edge, will be manufactured at Ordnance Factory Board’s Heavy Vehicles Factory at Avadi, near Chennai.

Designed and developed by Defence Research and Development Organisation’s Chennai-based Combat Vehicles Research and Development Establishment (CVRDE), Arjun Mk-1A is an upgraded version of Arjun Mk-1 main battle tank (MBT). It will have 72 upgrades over the existing variant including 14 major improvements.

“The Mk-1A is equipped with accurate and superior firepower, all-terrain mobility and invincible multi-layered protection provided by an array of advanced technology systems. It can take on the enemy during day and night. By virtue of these capabilities, this indigenous MBT will be on a par with any contemporary in its class across the globe,” the Defence ministry stated.

The order will involve around 200 Indian vendors and generate 8,000 jobs.

A fortnight earlier, the government had cleared projects worth Rs 33,000 crore to equip Indian Air Force with new medium transport aircraft and airborne early warning systems.