The indigenous main battle tank Arjun was deployed at Jaisalmer border on Saturday. A programme was organised on 39th Raising Day of 75 Regiment and on that ocassion, Russian made T 55 tanks were given a farewell.
The regiment is the second unit in which Arjun tanks were inducted. This deployment is vital for defence and the tank will play a very important role. Lieutenant General A K Singh, GOC-in-C, Southern Command reviewed a parade of 75 Armoured Regiment. He lauded the professionalism of the soldiers. He expressed satisfaction that such a modern and sophisticated MBT was being produced indigenously.
The ceremony also marked the phasing out of T 55 tanks after 40 years of service. Many of the veterans present at the parade were moved by the departure of their trusted tank. The 75 Armoured Regiment has a unique history. It was raised in captured Pakistani territory in March 1972. After successfully fighting the 1971 war, three independent armoured squadrons were merged to create the regiment.
The regiment is the second unit in which Arjun tanks were inducted. This deployment is vital for defence and the tank will play a very important role. Lieutenant General A K Singh, GOC-in-C, Southern Command reviewed a parade of 75 Armoured Regiment. He lauded the professionalism of the soldiers. He expressed satisfaction that such a modern and sophisticated MBT was being produced indigenously.
The ceremony also marked the phasing out of T 55 tanks after 40 years of service. Many of the veterans present at the parade were moved by the departure of their trusted tank. The 75 Armoured Regiment has a unique history. It was raised in captured Pakistani territory in March 1972. After successfully fighting the 1971 war, three independent armoured squadrons were merged to create the regiment.
For the gallant actions by its squadrons, the Regiment was conferred the Theatre Honour Sindh'. The event also marked the 39th Raising Day of the Regiment. Over 100 retired officers and jawans attended the celebrations.
The delays and failures in Arjun's development from the 1990s to the 2000s prompted the Indian Army to order vast numbers of T-90S from Russia to meet the defence gap.
The Arjun features a 120 mm main rifle gun with indigenously developed APFSDS ammunition which has the capability to penetrate superior armor, one 7.62 mm coaxial machine gun, and a 12.7 mm machine gun. It is powered by a single MTU multi-fuel diesel engine rated at 1,400 hp, and can achieve a maximum speed of 70 km/h (43 mph) and a cross-country speed of 40 km/h (25 mph). It requires a four-man crew: commander, gunner, loader and driver. Automatic fire detection and suppression, and NBC protection systems are provided.
All-round anti-tank warhead protection by the newly developed Kanchan armour is claimed to be much higher than available in present third generation tanks.
Earlier, in March 2010, the Arjun was pitted against the T-90 in comparative trials and performed well.
Weighing 58.5 tons, the Arjun tank is significantly heavier than the Soviet-legacy tanks used at present by the Indian Army.