India’s Arjun Mk II tanks, except for their high cost, are considered very superior in their features, even “above” the Russian T-90S tank. Not stopping there, India is also working to integrate artificial intelligence in this tank.
The Arjun Mk2 is capable of firing Israeli-made LAHAT missiles through its main cannon, a feature very few western tanks have.
In addition, the tank is equipped with a laser warning system that enhances defense against incoming enemy ATGMs and Air-to-surface weapons. In addition, the Mk2 is equipped with a advanced armor system, which is made up of multiple composite components from reinforced steel, ceramic and composite materials.
According to Military Experts, compared with the standard Arjun version, the Mk2 version has more than 80 upgraded or improved components.
Experts evaluate this tank on par with leading Main Battle Tanks of other nations such as Germany, USA, etc. This tank is comparable with the Leopard 2A7, M1A2 Abrams and T-90MS.
Notable features of the Arjun Mk2 tank are : the upgrades to the thermal imaging system, active armor system, mine-clearing device, laser sensor system, to warn of incoming aerial threats such as ATGMs and a improved guidence system.
In addition, the Arjun Mk2 tank is also equipped with a more compact turret and a modern battlefield information exchange system.
The tank cannon can fire ammunition of various types, and can accurately destroy targets in the range of 5km.
Secondly armament of the tank is a 7.62mm coaxial machine gun and a fully automatic 12.7mm anti-aircraft machine gun.
In terms of dimensions, the Arjun Mk2 tank has a length of 10.64 meters, a width of 3.95 meters and a height of 3.18 meters and a weight of upto 68 tons.
Despite its large size and heavy weight, the tank is able to generate 1,500 horsepower, all thanks to its diesel engine, the tank can get the maximum speed of 65 kilometers per hour and a range of 500 kilometers.
The Indian Army has ordered 118 Mk2 Arjun tanks to put into active service.
Currently, india is working to integrate artificial intelligence in this tank.
Accordingly, once integrated with Artificial intelligence, the tank will be able to automatically detect, classify and track different types of targets, and can quickly fire to neutralize dangerous targets.
Although Arjun Mk2 tanks are considered as formidable weapon systems, but their only drawback is their expensive cost of manufacturing.
