Second generation of Arjun Mk-2 has been cleared recently by theMinistry of Defence and funding allocated , while the Army has orderedmore 124 Arjun Mk-1 to keep the production line in Avadi busy till theArjun Mk-2 will start rolling out from 2013-14 onwards .
DRDO ratherthan starting all over again the Arjun MK-2 will have the same designof Arjun MK-1, but major changes are planned for the new generationvariant of Arjun Tank to keep up with the new technological changeswhich are been incorporated in the MBT’s world over .Arjun MK-2 will have Battle Field Management System (BFMS) which willenable the tank to get feed from UAV‘s and Helicopters, which thenenable the Arjun mk-2 tank crew much aware of their surroundings andbetter understanding of the battle zone, this will lead to improvementin coordinating with other Friendly tanks in the zone and also avoidFriendly kills, it will also give information regarding enemy tankmovement along with their troops and help navigate terrain in thebattle zone.
Self-diagnostic system (SDS) will also be added to Arjun Mk-2 which islike a health monitoring system. it will not only tell the tank crew ifit is having any problem but also point out the trouble area , it isalso important when Tank has taken multiple hits from differentposition and from different ammunition after a self-diagnose Tank crewwill know exact damage inflicted on the Tank .
Arjun Mk-2 will get a new efficient 1500bhp engine which has been indevelopment by DRDO in India its self, they are reports that a IndianPrivate industry is also working with DRDO on the engine development,currently Arjun MK-1 is powered by German supplied 1400bhp engine whichis quite old in design and technical parameters but still a powerfuland respected engine in the world.
NERA (non-explosive reactive armor) will be added to Arjun Mk-2 thiswill give the tank additional protection against anti-tank munitions,unlike ERA, NERA will enable tank to take multiple hits anti-tankmunitions, but also increase the weight of Arjun MK-2 to 60 tons fromits current weight (Arjun MK-1) of 58 tons.
It is much likely that Arjun Mk-2 will also spot Air-conditioningsystem for the crew, which will be powered from an APU which will drawits power from the Main engine of the Tank; this will enable the tankcrew to operate in higher temperature of desert heat without anydiscomfort to the tank crew, Arjun MK-1 already has hardenedelectronics that function perfectly even in the Rajasthan summerwithout requiring any Air-conditioning system.
More changes will take place in Arjun Mk-2, above mentioned are mostly likely changes which will take place in the new variant.
