Swarajya's video: Arjun Mark 1A Main Battle Tanks Handed Over To MM Naravane For Indian Army By Modi Defence Update

Prime Minister Narendra Modi handed over the first Arjun Mark 1A main battle tanks (MBT) to Army chief General MM Naravane in Chennai. The Indian Army will be inducting 118 Arjun Mark 1As, an improved version of the Mark-1 version of the MBT. The new version of the tank, which weighs 68 tonnes and features a 120 mm main gun, has 72 improvements — 14 major and 58 minor — over the version currently in service with the Army. Some of the major improvements in the new MBT include upgraded firepower, new transmission systems, an improved gunner’s main sight, integrated with automatic target tracking and day-and-night stabilised sights to enable the tank to engage enemy targets accurately and even when it is on the move. The Indian Army currently operates two regiments of 124 Arjun Mark 1s in the desert sector along the border with Pakistan in Rajasthan. Given that the Indian Army has had issues with its weight, it is unlikely to place more orders for the tank beyond the 118 that will be inducted now. Instead, it is keen on inducting tanks it can operate both in the plains and in high altitude areas like Ladakh, which has seen large-scale deployment of armour during the ongoing standoff with China at Pangong Tso, Galwan Valley and Depsang. Subscribe to Swarajya on YouTube. Get a Swarajya subscription: https://subscriptions.swarajyamag.com/join-us Website: https://swarajyamag.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/SwarajyaMag Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/swarajyamag