Arjun Main Battle Tank (MBT)
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Indian indigenous Arjun MBT development history is a facinating story of Indian quest to develop a formidable Tank.The article covers the design, development and operational use of Arjun Tank. FIDSNS is greatfull to Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) for its time and efforts to make this article.
The main battle tank MBT-80 which is now called MBT Arjun was conceived by the Indian Army after it realized the futility of its tanks mainly in desert conditions, during the 1971 war.
1972 – 1975
In October 1970 a symposium was held on the Indian Main Battle Tank (MBT) at Armoured Corps Center and School. It was attended by the representatives from Indian Army General Staff (GS), Defence Research and Development Organisation DRDO), Director General Quality Assurance (DGQA) and Department of Defence Production (DODP). The main aim of the symposium was to formulate GSQR for future Indian MBT.
The first draft of Qualitative Requirement (QR) was prepared by Armoured Corps Directorate and discussed with Vice Chief of Army Staff (VCOAS).
The first General Staff Qualitative Requirement (GSQR) was issued in August 1972 as QR No. 326 for the design and development of MBT. The QR 326 was not exhaustive and with regard to specifications but featured only skeleton specifications.
The design and development of MBT based on GSQR No. 326 was taken up by the Combat Vehicle Research and Development Establishment (CVRDE). The initial outlay of Rs. 15.50 Crore was sanctioned vide the Government of India (GOI) letter dated 02 May, 1974. Project Development Certification (PDC) of the project was 10 years from the date of sanction.
The MBT was to be designed around imported engine as the design and development experience to create a tank engine was not available within the time frame of the project. In 1974, DRDO had to take up design and development of a tank engine as Government of India could not import a tank engine because of political and other reasons.
1975 -1980
DRDO prepared the system configuration of the tank. Indigenous engine hardware was assembled and motoring test commenced by 1979. Indigenous suspension and transmission hardware was ready for development test. The main 115mm armament was developed and trials were carried out for proof at Balasore ranges. The gun system and fire control system design was configured. One prototype hull in mild steel was fabricated to check the fitment and assembly.
In April 1978, the Indian Army called DRDO for a meeting for mutual discussions. The aim was to change the GSQR No. 326. A series of meetings between DRDO and Indian Army, chaired by VCOAS resulted in change in GSQR. The new GSQR bearing the number 431 was issued in August 1982.
The changes in the GSQR No. 431 were
a)Increase in width and weight
b)110/115mm gun was to be replaced with a 120mm gun.
c)Improved Sighting and Fire Control system.
Essentially it meant creation of entirely new design and systems. A sum of Rs. 56.55 Crores was obtained mainly to cater to cater to GSQR changes and price escalation due to inflation/ rise in import costs.
The PDC of the project was revised. The first prototype was to be built by October 1980 and subsequently 12 prototypes were to be developed, one in every 6 months.
The indigenous engine and transmission evaluation on dynamometer was carried out during 1979-81.
As already mentioned that the country had no experience in building an basic internal combustion engine. The tank engine development slipped as this engine was to be made after experimenting with basics of an internal combustion engine. Project of this scale was almost impossible for nascent Indian research laboratories. By this time, the western governments had shown willingness to supply the engines. A decision was taken to import a limited number of engines (also called "power packs") from M/S MTU, Germany. For the fitment On Mark 1 (Mk 1) prototypes so as not to let the development schedule of the MBT slip.
Initially MTU supplied a 700hp engine for fitment trials and subsequently supplied 1100hp engine for prototypes. The MTU was also developing a 1400hp engine as per the specifications laid down by CVRDE.
The first prototype of the MBT was developed based on GSQR No. 326 of 1972 and No. 431 of 1982.
The prototype was subjected to limited technical trials by DRDO at Avadi and Jodhpur desert area.
Subsequently, few more prototypes were produced with different configuration by 1985.
In the initial development phase, suspension, running gear and other automotive systems were being evaluated with 1100 hp engine.
1985 – 1990
There had been significant enhancement in the battle tank technologies world wide and there was a possibility of these tanks being introduced in the Indian Sub Continent. This prompted Indian Army to change its GSQR and in November 1985, third GSQR No. 467 was issued. The changes in GSQR were:
a)More lethal gun of 120mm caliber.
b)Requirement of Fin Stabilized Armour Piercing Discarding Sabot (FSAPDS)
c)Development of Semi Combustible Cartridge cases and high energy propellant.
d)Integrated Fire Control System based on sight stabilized system with periscopic gunner sight.
e)Thermal Imaging system for gunner's main sight for night fighting capabilities.
f)Provision of "Kanchan Armour" for enhanced immunity.
In addition following conditions were in the new GSQR:
"¢Manufacture of 23 Pre production Series (PPS) Tanks to enable full scale troop trials and after that smooth transfer technology (TOT) to a production agency.
"¢Setting of Armoured Fighting Vehicle (AFV) evaluation center and augmentation of infrastructure facilities.
"¢Realistic assessment of technical and user trial.
"¢Import of engines for prototypes and PPS.
The revised financial implication because of the new GSQR was Rs. 280.80 Crores which was issued in 1987. The GSQR escalated the cost of materials, stores and the import cost spiraled due to weakening Rupee.
The development of the tank was progressed with reference to the new GSQR. DRDO had to re – design the structure of chassis/ hull. The turret had to be designed again to cater to improved armour protection and a high power to weight ratio power pack. The MBT now also to feature Nuclear Biological and Chemical (NBC) warfare and protection system, Medium Fording capability, auxiliary power unit (APU), Laser Warning System (LWS) and Global Positioning System (GPS).
The period of 1985 – 1990 was significant in history of Arjun Tank for the progressive evolution of a number of systems through exhaustive field testing. A total of 12 Arjun Tank prototypes were built in order to prove the design, development and system integration of a number of systems through field testing.
The integration of first prototype with a proper 1400 hp engine was accomplished in 1989. During the automotive trials of the prototypes a total of 20,000 Kilometer run in various terrain. Arjun MBT covered 11000 kilometers in dessert terrain and 1000 kilometers in river bed terrain. The weapon system was also tested by firing 540 FSAPDS and 560 HESH.
1990 – 1995
The confidence of DRDO had built up with these prototypes and many improvements were made.
The first batch of 6 PPS tanks had got manufactured through Heavy Vehicles Factory (HVF) in Avadi, Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL) and Bharat Earth Movers Limited (BEML), each two PPS tanks. Indent for manufacture of manufacture of 9 more PPS tanks by HVF was released to HVF in December 1992.
MBT Arjun was formally inducted into Indian Army in 1993 with these 6 tanks. The performance of PPS tanks were demonstrated to the Defence Minister, COAS and the members of the Parliament in February 1993.
The PPS tanks were put through grueling tests by the field formations covering several thousand kilometers of automotive runs on various terrains and firing hundreds of rounds per tank to establish the efficiency of the Arjun tank.
The status of the Arjun Tank was reviewed by the COAS in May 1994 and "bottom line requirements" were laid down. After the completion of the 1994 trials on MBT Arjun, a presentation was made to the COAS and he laid down "Imperatives" in August 1994.
All the additional 9 PPS tanks were handed over to Army progressively and the final handing over of the 9th PPS Tank to Army happened in 1996. The last PPS tank (i.e. XV) incorporating improvements as suggested by the Army and with add on features viz. APU, NBC, Medium Fording Capability was demonstrated to COAS and users at Avadi.
The PPS Tanks delivered to the Army during this period had covered 70,000 kilometers of automotive trials and fired 7000 rounds. The average kilometer run by a PPS tank was 4500 kilometers and 460 rounds fired from each tank.
DRDO addressed the bottom line requirements and imperatives as demanded by the COAS. The overall design of the Arjun Tank was cleared.
1995 – 2000
A set of dedicated trials as directed by the COAS was carried out during August – December 1995 successfully.
The Prime Minister P.V Narsimha Rao dedicated the MBT Arjun to the nation in January 1996.
The Army designated the XV PPS tank as the reference tank for production.
In the year 1997, 11 PPS tanks participated in Indian Army Exercise "AGNIR.ATI-t." (A clarification on the name of the exercise is needed. It could be Exercise Agnirathi). 10 Arjun Tanks successfully completed the exercise. But the Army again came back with suggestions and modifications. In November 1997, the final list of suggested modifications and "joint Action Plan" for the implementation and certification was drafted. DRDO implemented the modification to the satisfaction of the Indian Army.
The Indian Amy again put the improved tanks to trials. The 43rd Armoured Regiment conducted the automotive trials. The trials were successful and Arjun tank was brought ready for full scale production.
The Arjun MBT project was successfully closed at Rupees 305 Crores. The final acceptance by the Indian Army led to placement of order for 124 Arjun Tanks in 2002.
DRDO transferred the design and other drawings to the manufacturing agency HVF in 2002.
The Authorised Holder of the Sealed Particulars is with DRDO till certain maturity level is reached in production, i.e, the first 30 tanks produced by HVF will have quality control certified by DRDO. After that Arjun Tank will be certified by DGQA.
The Future
The Arjun Tank had its detractors in form of internal rivalry of the users, the Indian arms import lobby and media seeking sensationalism. Since India did not have any Tank design experience and many defence experts expressed doubts about the viability of the Arjun Tank project when it started and questioned the capability of the CVRDE to design and develop tanks. DRDO took these challenges and ever shifting qualitative requirements, in stride. Pending a political decision, currently DRDO is gearing up for the development of Arjun Mark-2 Tanks (Arjun Mk.2).
The main battle tank MBT-80 which is now called MBT Arjun was conceived by the Indian Army after it realized the futility of its tanks mainly in desert conditions, during the 1971 war.
1972 – 1975
In October 1970 a symposium was held on the Indian Main Battle Tank (MBT) at Armoured Corps Center and School. It was attended by the representatives from Indian Army General Staff (GS), Defence Research and Development Organisation DRDO), Director General Quality Assurance (DGQA) and Department of Defence Production (DODP). The main aim of the symposium was to formulate GSQR for future Indian MBT.
The first draft of Qualitative Requirement (QR) was prepared by Armoured Corps Directorate and discussed with Vice Chief of Army Staff (VCOAS).
The first General Staff Qualitative Requirement (GSQR) was issued in August 1972 as QR No. 326 for the design and development of MBT. The QR 326 was not exhaustive and with regard to specifications but featured only skeleton specifications.
The design and development of MBT based on GSQR No. 326 was taken up by the Combat Vehicle Research and Development Establishment (CVRDE). The initial outlay of Rs. 15.50 Crore was sanctioned vide the Government of India (GOI) letter dated 02 May, 1974. Project Development Certification (PDC) of the project was 10 years from the date of sanction.
The MBT was to be designed around imported engine as the design and development experience to create a tank engine was not available within the time frame of the project. In 1974, DRDO had to take up design and development of a tank engine as Government of India could not import a tank engine because of political and other reasons.
1975 -1980
DRDO prepared the system configuration of the tank. Indigenous engine hardware was assembled and motoring test commenced by 1979. Indigenous suspension and transmission hardware was ready for development test. The main 115mm armament was developed and trials were carried out for proof at Balasore ranges. The gun system and fire control system design was configured. One prototype hull in mild steel was fabricated to check the fitment and assembly.
In April 1978, the Indian Army called DRDO for a meeting for mutual discussions. The aim was to change the GSQR No. 326. A series of meetings between DRDO and Indian Army, chaired by VCOAS resulted in change in GSQR. The new GSQR bearing the number 431 was issued in August 1982.
The changes in the GSQR No. 431 were
a)Increase in width and weight
b)110/115mm gun was to be replaced with a 120mm gun.
c)Improved Sighting and Fire Control system.
Essentially it meant creation of entirely new design and systems. A sum of Rs. 56.55 Crores was obtained mainly to cater to cater to GSQR changes and price escalation due to inflation/ rise in import costs.
The PDC of the project was revised. The first prototype was to be built by October 1980 and subsequently 12 prototypes were to be developed, one in every 6 months.
The indigenous engine and transmission evaluation on dynamometer was carried out during 1979-81.
As already mentioned that the country had no experience in building an basic internal combustion engine. The tank engine development slipped as this engine was to be made after experimenting with basics of an internal combustion engine. Project of this scale was almost impossible for nascent Indian research laboratories. By this time, the western governments had shown willingness to supply the engines. A decision was taken to import a limited number of engines (also called "power packs") from M/S MTU, Germany. For the fitment On Mark 1 (Mk 1) prototypes so as not to let the development schedule of the MBT slip.
Initially MTU supplied a 700hp engine for fitment trials and subsequently supplied 1100hp engine for prototypes. The MTU was also developing a 1400hp engine as per the specifications laid down by CVRDE.
The first prototype of the MBT was developed based on GSQR No. 326 of 1972 and No. 431 of 1982.
The prototype was subjected to limited technical trials by DRDO at Avadi and Jodhpur desert area.
Subsequently, few more prototypes were produced with different configuration by 1985.
In the initial development phase, suspension, running gear and other automotive systems were being evaluated with 1100 hp engine.
1985 – 1990
There had been significant enhancement in the battle tank technologies world wide and there was a possibility of these tanks being introduced in the Indian Sub Continent. This prompted Indian Army to change its GSQR and in November 1985, third GSQR No. 467 was issued. The changes in GSQR were:
a)More lethal gun of 120mm caliber.
b)Requirement of Fin Stabilized Armour Piercing Discarding Sabot (FSAPDS)
c)Development of Semi Combustible Cartridge cases and high energy propellant.
d)Integrated Fire Control System based on sight stabilized system with periscopic gunner sight.
e)Thermal Imaging system for gunner's main sight for night fighting capabilities.
f)Provision of "Kanchan Armour" for enhanced immunity.
In addition following conditions were in the new GSQR:
"¢Manufacture of 23 Pre production Series (PPS) Tanks to enable full scale troop trials and after that smooth transfer technology (TOT) to a production agency.
"¢Setting of Armoured Fighting Vehicle (AFV) evaluation center and augmentation of infrastructure facilities.
"¢Realistic assessment of technical and user trial.
"¢Import of engines for prototypes and PPS.
The revised financial implication because of the new GSQR was Rs. 280.80 Crores which was issued in 1987. The GSQR escalated the cost of materials, stores and the import cost spiraled due to weakening Rupee.
The development of the tank was progressed with reference to the new GSQR. DRDO had to re – design the structure of chassis/ hull. The turret had to be designed again to cater to improved armour protection and a high power to weight ratio power pack. The MBT now also to feature Nuclear Biological and Chemical (NBC) warfare and protection system, Medium Fording capability, auxiliary power unit (APU), Laser Warning System (LWS) and Global Positioning System (GPS).
The period of 1985 – 1990 was significant in history of Arjun Tank for the progressive evolution of a number of systems through exhaustive field testing. A total of 12 Arjun Tank prototypes were built in order to prove the design, development and system integration of a number of systems through field testing.
The integration of first prototype with a proper 1400 hp engine was accomplished in 1989. During the automotive trials of the prototypes a total of 20,000 Kilometer run in various terrain. Arjun MBT covered 11000 kilometers in dessert terrain and 1000 kilometers in river bed terrain. The weapon system was also tested by firing 540 FSAPDS and 560 HESH.
1990 – 1995
The confidence of DRDO had built up with these prototypes and many improvements were made.
The first batch of 6 PPS tanks had got manufactured through Heavy Vehicles Factory (HVF) in Avadi, Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL) and Bharat Earth Movers Limited (BEML), each two PPS tanks. Indent for manufacture of manufacture of 9 more PPS tanks by HVF was released to HVF in December 1992.
MBT Arjun was formally inducted into Indian Army in 1993 with these 6 tanks. The performance of PPS tanks were demonstrated to the Defence Minister, COAS and the members of the Parliament in February 1993.
The PPS tanks were put through grueling tests by the field formations covering several thousand kilometers of automotive runs on various terrains and firing hundreds of rounds per tank to establish the efficiency of the Arjun tank.
The status of the Arjun Tank was reviewed by the COAS in May 1994 and "bottom line requirements" were laid down. After the completion of the 1994 trials on MBT Arjun, a presentation was made to the COAS and he laid down "Imperatives" in August 1994.
All the additional 9 PPS tanks were handed over to Army progressively and the final handing over of the 9th PPS Tank to Army happened in 1996. The last PPS tank (i.e. XV) incorporating improvements as suggested by the Army and with add on features viz. APU, NBC, Medium Fording Capability was demonstrated to COAS and users at Avadi.
The PPS Tanks delivered to the Army during this period had covered 70,000 kilometers of automotive trials and fired 7000 rounds. The average kilometer run by a PPS tank was 4500 kilometers and 460 rounds fired from each tank.
DRDO addressed the bottom line requirements and imperatives as demanded by the COAS. The overall design of the Arjun Tank was cleared.
1995 – 2000
A set of dedicated trials as directed by the COAS was carried out during August – December 1995 successfully.
The Prime Minister P.V Narsimha Rao dedicated the MBT Arjun to the nation in January 1996.
The Army designated the XV PPS tank as the reference tank for production.
In the year 1997, 11 PPS tanks participated in Indian Army Exercise "AGNIR.ATI-t." (A clarification on the name of the exercise is needed. It could be Exercise Agnirathi). 10 Arjun Tanks successfully completed the exercise. But the Army again came back with suggestions and modifications. In November 1997, the final list of suggested modifications and "joint Action Plan" for the implementation and certification was drafted. DRDO implemented the modification to the satisfaction of the Indian Army.
The Indian Amy again put the improved tanks to trials. The 43rd Armoured Regiment conducted the automotive trials. The trials were successful and Arjun tank was brought ready for full scale production.
The Arjun MBT project was successfully closed at Rupees 305 Crores. The final acceptance by the Indian Army led to placement of order for 124 Arjun Tanks in 2002.
DRDO transferred the design and other drawings to the manufacturing agency HVF in 2002.
The Authorised Holder of the Sealed Particulars is with DRDO till certain maturity level is reached in production, i.e, the first 30 tanks produced by HVF will have quality control certified by DRDO. After that Arjun Tank will be certified by DGQA.
The Future
The Arjun Tank had its detractors in form of internal rivalry of the users, the Indian arms import lobby and media seeking sensationalism. Since India did not have any Tank design experience and many defence experts expressed doubts about the viability of the Arjun Tank project when it started and questioned the capability of the CVRDE to design and develop tanks. DRDO took these challenges and ever shifting qualitative requirements, in stride. Pending a political decision, currently DRDO is gearing up for the development of Arjun Mark-2 Tanks (Arjun Mk.2).
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In an article, Mr Chander said that there were some problem in the arjun mark2 .
Does anyone have any idea which trials faced problem.
Let me guess . Its it missile firing capability ?
experts ?
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There were no technical problems, rather few system were a ab-send due to IMI ban, these hardware will be purchased and lisence produced by OFB in near future ..
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Very Probably ..
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Unlike the t series tanks which were imported with no proper exhaustive trials and feed back from army units on the ground Arjun was developed fromt he ground according to the wishes of Army. So the weight of Arjun and how to provide logistics for Arjun tank to operate in all terrains should have been worked out by Army when it was being developed with very close co ordination from army.
That must be the reason that sarvantra bridging system was standardized on 70 tons. And to operate in marshy conditions Arjun was specified with lower ground pressure per sq inch which it demonstrated by operating in many riverine areas with loose soli which were previously marked as non tankable in the IA map.
Also it was built with much better power to weight ratio than other tanks in IA to climb steep gradients.
So there are no problems facing it right now other than commitment from IA to introduce it in large numbers.
may be after mk-2 trials IA would place large orders for Arjun .Hope for the best.
That must be the reason that sarvantra bridging system was standardized on 70 tons. And to operate in marshy conditions Arjun was specified with lower ground pressure per sq inch which it demonstrated by operating in many riverine areas with loose soli which were previously marked as non tankable in the IA map.
Also it was built with much better power to weight ratio than other tanks in IA to climb steep gradients.
So there are no problems facing it right now other than commitment from IA to introduce it in large numbers.
may be after mk-2 trials IA would place large orders for Arjun .Hope for the best.
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DivineHeretic
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Actually, 70 ton tracked is a design standard. In civil Engineering circles, this is the recommended design load of roads and bridges for a single lane. The other standards being 45T tracked etc.
And well, the ability of soil to bear loads is dependent on both wheel/Track pressure as well as on overall load. I too was under the impression that soil bearing capacity is reliant exclusively on ground pressure, but one semester of studying transportation Engineering and soil mechanics and you realise the extremely complicated nature of soil strength.
I'll profide a detailed explanation of how load and ground pressure impacts soil layers soon.
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http://defenceforumindia.com/forum/land-forces/43974-altay-tank-new-beast-block-7.html#post817110
A lot of tank experts are discussing how tanks sink in soil in the thread above, So please provide a copy of your reports for the benefit of those people as well.
DivineHeretic
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Its absolutely not my report or anything like that. These studies and analysis were conducted by legends in Geotechnical (soil) Engineering, in particular, Westergard, and Cassagrande.
I will provide the relevant data soon enough, hopefully with charts and tables. Please bear with me.
Dinesh_Kumar
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*****CROSS POST FROM ARTILLERY THREAD*********
130mm Arjun based SP Catapult Gun seen on CVRDE website
http://i.imgur.com/qYNGOEn.png
This is a good development, Jugaad tech. In future, it is easier to upgun to 155mm than procure a new 155mm. And with desi FCS, the end product may be quite good, actually.
130mm Arjun based SP Catapult Gun seen on CVRDE website
http://i.imgur.com/qYNGOEn.png
This is a good development, Jugaad tech. In future, it is easier to upgun to 155mm than procure a new 155mm. And with desi FCS, the end product may be quite good, actually.
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Arjun 130 mm gun: DRDO tastes success
Feasibility study of mounting 130 mm Catapult Gun on Arjun Chassis Mk-I was carried out in May- June 2012. The technical study concluded that upgradation of the existing Catapult on the chassis could be carried out in a very short time and the equipment capabilities increased.
A date in the month of November, 2012 was fixed by the DG (artillery) for the first field trial. The CVRDE, Avadi, took up the challenge after they were given a spare gun system to mount on the Arjun, Mk I in July, 2012. The trials were held between 27 November to 3 December 2012. The Arjun mounted chassis outmatched Vijayanta by a large margin, also in the test for stability, while firing charged rounds.
The developmental trials were held between 31 July to 13 August, 2013 during the summer. Arjun Catapult was fitted with two sets of Goegraphical Positioning System and one Gyro used in Arjun Mk-I during these trials. Driver's Night Vision Device (DNS) and Commanders' night sight (HHTI) were also successfully tested. It was also provided with fire fighting system based on Instant Fire Detection Suppression System as existing in Arjun Mk-I tanks.
The Arjun Catapult was run for about 500 kms during this trial and subjected to maximum intense and sustained firings.
'The firings and mobility trials were absolutely smooth which gave full confidence to the users as well as the development agency, that the requirement of Arjun Catapult of artillery would soon be a reality. It is expected that the user trials based on General Staff Qualitative Requirement (GSQR) would be held in November-December 2013, and 40 Catapult Guns would be inducted by the army,' a senior DRDO official stated.
Source : Arjun 130 mm gun: DRDO tastes success | Millennium Post
Feasibility study of mounting 130 mm Catapult Gun on Arjun Chassis Mk-I was carried out in May- June 2012. The technical study concluded that upgradation of the existing Catapult on the chassis could be carried out in a very short time and the equipment capabilities increased.
A date in the month of November, 2012 was fixed by the DG (artillery) for the first field trial. The CVRDE, Avadi, took up the challenge after they were given a spare gun system to mount on the Arjun, Mk I in July, 2012. The trials were held between 27 November to 3 December 2012. The Arjun mounted chassis outmatched Vijayanta by a large margin, also in the test for stability, while firing charged rounds.
The developmental trials were held between 31 July to 13 August, 2013 during the summer. Arjun Catapult was fitted with two sets of Goegraphical Positioning System and one Gyro used in Arjun Mk-I during these trials. Driver's Night Vision Device (DNS) and Commanders' night sight (HHTI) were also successfully tested. It was also provided with fire fighting system based on Instant Fire Detection Suppression System as existing in Arjun Mk-I tanks.
The Arjun Catapult was run for about 500 kms during this trial and subjected to maximum intense and sustained firings.
'The firings and mobility trials were absolutely smooth which gave full confidence to the users as well as the development agency, that the requirement of Arjun Catapult of artillery would soon be a reality. It is expected that the user trials based on General Staff Qualitative Requirement (GSQR) would be held in November-December 2013, and 40 Catapult Guns would be inducted by the army,' a senior DRDO official stated.
Source : Arjun 130 mm gun: DRDO tastes success | Millennium Post
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The PM has warned against expensive foreign arms buys considering the state of the indian economy and rupee.
Buying at home | Business Standard
but IAF will order only 80 odd mk-2s .Why?
In the same way IA could easily have ordered 500 or so Arjun mk-1s which are battle ready. Bit it has ordered 250 odd T-90s in which crew men can not stand the shearing heat of indian summer and faint .
Both of these are heavy forex draining deals that will actually end up harming India's defense capabilities in respective fields besides pushing the rupee further down the depths.
Buying at home | Business Standard
Buying 300 or tejas mk-2 in place of 120 RAFALEs for the same price will give a much better air defense capacity for IAF.
but IAF will order only 80 odd mk-2s .Why?
In the same way IA could easily have ordered 500 or so Arjun mk-1s which are battle ready. Bit it has ordered 250 odd T-90s in which crew men can not stand the shearing heat of indian summer and faint .
Both of these are heavy forex draining deals that will actually end up harming India's defense capabilities in respective fields besides pushing the rupee further down the depths.
Ok, I will try to put it in simple way, if I'm right..
and please feel free to correct me if needed.You can make afloat a needle(thin ones used for sewing cloths) on water surface due to water surface tension(imagine surface tension like very very thin strings covering the water surface, similar to badminton racket). one can easily experiment it at home, put a tissue paper in water and at top of it a needle. In a few seconds the tissue will go under water once it gets wet, but the needle will keep floating, due to tension of water surface. But when you try to put a similar shaped but bigger and heavy needle it will go under the water, even if it is made of same material & the design is same(meaning same pressure on surface), as that tension(imaginary strings) can no longer take the weight.
In case of ground each different layers(soil character varies as you go deeper, even by a few inches), acts similar to water surface tension, and hence once the weight of a vehicle reaches a critical stage it will sink irrespective of its ground pressure.
rvjpheonix
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If thats the case all heavy structures like buildings will just sink right?I know they have a foundation but what about big rocks weighing more than many arjuns?Ok, I will try to put it in simple way, if I'm right..
You can make afloat a needle(thin ones used for sewing cloths) on water surface due to water surface tension(imagine surface tension like very very thin strings covering the water surface, similar to badminton racket). one can easily experiment it at home, put a tissue paper in water and at top of it a needle. In a few seconds the tissue will go under water once it gets wet, but the needle will keep floating, due to tension of water surface. But when you try to put a similar shaped but bigger and heavy needle it will go under the water, even if it is made of same material & the design is same(meaning same pressure on surface), as that tension(imaginary strings) can no longer take the weight.
In case of ground each different layers(soil character varies as you go deeper, even by a few inches), acts similar to water surface tension, and hence once the weight of a vehicle reaches a critical stage it will sink irrespective of its ground pressure.
That's why buildings have limit to how much further they can go up depending upon the area(area as a whole building) it is being expended and soil properties, Also stones are not that heavier comparing to tanks for the same volume(may be except granites etc) and they have already sank as much they could over the century and the ground below them is already so compressed that it can now hold that much weight. I guess as we go deeper the tension increases,that's why the vehicle don't go deeper and deeper while sinking(like in water) and would usually would stop sinking after a few feet. Here a heavy vehicle will cover almost the same area(as a whole, not just for tracks) as light vehicle.
EDIT: PS: Buildings actually do sink over the period of time in many cases, but the process it too slow for us to notice.
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