India New modifications have been made to Arjun Mk II MBT tank.

The Indian Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) Chairman S Christopher October 23, 2017, said necessary modifications have been made to the advanced version of the indigenous Arjun Mark II Main Battle Tank (MBT) as recommended by the Army of India.

Indian-made Arjun Mk II main battle tank at DefExpo 2016

The DRDO chairman expressed confidence that the Arjun Mark II MBT will be accepted by the Army.

The Indian Army had asked for 93 improvements to the tank which includes the capability of firing the anti-tank LAHAT missile, laser protection suite and improved armoured protection for the vehicle.

The Arjun Mk-2 is the latest generation of main battle tank (MBT) designed and developed by the Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO) of India. The Arjun Mk II was unveiled for the first time to the public during a military parade for the National Day in New Delhi on 26 January, 2014.

The ARJUN Main Battle Tank Mk II has been designed and developed by DRDO by incorporating numerous improvements over and above the ARJUN MBT Mk I which is already in service with the Indian Army.

The main armament of the Arjun Mk II main battle tank comprises a 120mm rifled gun fitted with a thermal sleeve, fume extractor, and a muzzle reference system. The gun is able to fire a full range of ammunitions including FSAPDS (Fin Stabilized Armour Piercing Discarding Sabot), HESH (High-Explosive Squash Head), PCB, TB and the Israeli LAser Homing Anti-Tank (LAHAT) missile. LAser Homing Attack Missile, or LAHAT, is an advanced missile developed and manufactured by the MBT Division of Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI).

The overall layout of the Arjun Mk II is similar to other main battle tanks, with the driver's compartment at the front, three-man turret in the centre and engine and transmission at the rear. The front part of the chassis and the turret are fitted with an integrated explosive reactive armor (ERA) system. The all-round protection has been enhanced with improved KANCHAN armour, a modular composite armour developed by India. It has been described as being made by sandwiching composite panels between Rolled homogeneous armour (RHA). This armour is able to defeat APDS and HEAT rounds and is believed to withstand APFSDS.