Combat Vehicles Research and Development Establishment (CVRDE) in Avadi near Chennai will deliver 79 Arjun main battle tanks (MBT) by March 2010. Each tank, built indigenously by the Defence Research and Development Organisation, involved a cost of Rs 19 crore.
The Army has placed orders for 124 tanks, of which 45 have been delivered and the remaining would be delivered before March 2010, said A Sivathanu Pillai, chief controller, DRDO (research and Development).
It took over three decades to develop the project, which started in March 1974. The delay was mainly due to several unexpected hindrances on account of foreign sanctions on India following its nuclear tests.
The tanks have 1,400 HP engine, imported from Germany, and can travel at a speed of 70km an hour. They are capable of firing up to 4 km both in day and night, K Sridhar, DRDO scientist and spokesperson of CVRD, said. The import component, including the engine, is 25-30 per cent.