Arjun tanks roll out
CHENNAI, AUG 7 (PTI)
The first batch of five indigenously built 'Arjun' Main Battle Tanks formally rolled out of the Heavy Vehicles Factory at suburban Avadi today.
Describing the event as a red letter day, Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee said on the occasion that "India should be equally vigilant and determined not to secede even one millimetre of her land to anyone though she had no territorial ambitions.
India was not keen on annexing any territory or expanding her own territory, he said.
Chief of Army Staff Gen N.C.Vij said India was keen to have lesser dependence on import of tools of warfare.
Mukherjee said despite the fact that there was "major improvement" in the international environment, "at the same time it is a hard fact that peace is still elusive".
"Today, by rolling out these tanks, we are able to demonstrate to the entire world our capabilities in the areas of science and technology, management and our defence preparedness", he said.
The minister, who also released a souvenir to mark the roll out, said the private business sector and industrial houses have a major role to play in the defence preparedness, as everything cannot be done by the government from its meagre budgetary support.
"We have limited resources and that has to be complemented by the private sector which has to show interest and share its responsibility to the nation," he said.
The Minister of state for defence, B K Handique, said many sub-assemblies in the Arjun tank had to be imported now.
Since the country possessed enough expertise, it should be possible to bring down the dependence on imports to the minimum "as early as possible" and organisations such as DRDO and Ordnance Factories, which developed the Arjun tank, should take the initiative in this regard.
Chief of Army Staff Gen N C Vij described the rolling out function as a 'red letter day' for the country.
Pointing out that battle tanks were "complex tools in wars", Vij said these indigenously built tanks must withstand the rigours of combat conditions and prove their combat worthiness.
Arjun tanks were far superior to other battle tanks in the world, he claimed.
Dr V K Aatre, Scientific Advisor to Defence Minister, said by the year 2007, the DRDO would complete 50 years of its existence. Since technology was fast changing, "we must look as to how we can upgrade our technology".
Dr M Natarajan, who presented a profile of Arjun tanks, said the present 50 per cent indigenisation should be taken to 85 per cent as the number of tanks produced went up in the coming years. The army had placed orders for 124 Arjun tanks, which would be supplied before the end of 2007.
Director General of Ordnance Factories P K Misra said the rolling out of Arjun tanks was yet another milestone in India's history of achieving the national goal of self-reliance in defence.
Fifteen Ordnance factories in the country were associated with the manufacture of 'Arjun,' he said.
Arjun rolled out exactly seven months after the first T-90 S tank 'Bhishma' was dedicated to the nation.
Ten more tanks in the 'Arjun' class were at various stages of production and they would be delivered to the Army before this year end.
The tank has been designed and developed by the scientists and technologists of the Combat Vehicle Research and Development Establishment, Avadi, under Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).
It has high degree of mobility, superior firepower and excellent protection with accurate and faster target acquisition capability during day and night in all types of weather conditions.
The indigenously developed 120 mm gun with its high velocity ammunition can defeat any contemporary armour used in tanks.
Special features like integrated fire detection and suppression system, nuclear, biological and chemical system, state-of-the-art communication system provided added capabilities to the Arjun tank.
