India's Arjun MkI Tank Set to Roar with Indigenous DATRAN 1500Hp Engine by 2028, Overcoming German MTU Engine Supply Hurdles

In a major boost to India's self-reliance in defence production, the Indian Army's Arjun MkI Main Battle Tank (MBT) is set to be equipped with the domestically developed DATRAN 1500Hp engine.

This move comes as a solution to challenges faced in procuring engines from Germany and signifies a significant step forward for India's defence industry. Production of the Arjun MkI with the new engine is expected to commence in 2028.

The Arjun tank, named after the renowned warrior from the Indian epic Mahabharata, has been a flagship project for India's defence sector. However, its development has encountered delays and technical hurdles.

The Indian Army had previously placed orders for 118 units of the upgraded Arjun Mk1A MBTs, which were intended to be powered by German-made MTU engines. Unfortunately, MTU halted production of these engines and declined to restart it for what they perceived as a small order size, causing a considerable delay in tank deliveries.

This obstacle prompted India to accelerate its pursuit of indigenous solutions. The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), in partnership with Bharat Earth Movers Limited (BEML), developed the DATRAN 1500Hp engine. This powerful engine is designed for enhanced robustness and adaptability to diverse combat situations compared to its German predecessor.

The first test-firing of the DATRAN engine was successfully conducted in March 2024 at BEML's facility in Mysuru, marking a critical milestone in India's journey towards self-sufficiency in defence technology.

The DATRAN engine will undergo a rigorous testing phase before it enters full-scale production. Initial trials are planned to begin by mid to late 2025, followed by a comprehensive evaluation period of 2-3 years to ensure it meets the stringent performance and reliability standards of modern warfare.

This timeline allows for the Arjun MkI tanks to be equipped with the new engine by 2028, providing the Indian Army with a domestically produced, high-performance MBT.

The integration of the DATRAN 1500Hp engine into the Arjun tanks is projected to significantly improve their manoeuvrability, operational range, and overall combat effectiveness, which are vital for operations in diverse Indian terrains, from the deserts of Rajasthan to the high altitudes of Ladakh.

This development underscores India's growing capabilities in defence technology and its commitment to achieving self-reliance in this critical sector. The Arjun tank, powered by the indigenous DATRAN engine, is poised to become a symbol of India's strength and innovation in armoured warfare.

 

[saffronsword]

Arjun Tank is the underdog in the Indian military .

 

[Rinku Pandey]

Well done DRDO. Apda mein Avsar! Thanks to Germans for ceasing engine production, we have our own state-of-the-art Datran engine.

 

[sanket]

Well done MTU, its positive impact for indigenous engine development. DATARAN is the answer. Good work by DRDO & BEL, now next will be a scaled-down version of 1000 HP for Zorawar Tank.

 

[abhinav srivastava]

Only on denial we developed our own tech. Instead develop some more engines of different outputs. Modify them for marine and power generation uses so that there is a bigger market. Apart from atmanirbharta it will generate employment

 

[obiwankenubi jedi]

This is a better approach than blaming foreign OEMs controlled by profits and agenda of their country, for delays in make in India weapons, the engine is the core and must be domestic

 

[obiwankenubi jedi]

Reduce weight of Arjun mk2/3 so it's transportable and usefull with maneuverability and better technology for targetting, self defence and anti drone warfare,

and with SDRs, anti tank missiles, armour tech and thermal imaging for better surviability , use composites/lighter alloys for weight reductions, and with scope for addon armour and era against drones , shaped charges

68 tonnes on a 1500hp engine in Indian conditions of 40+ degree temperatures is not right, and it's difficult for rail or mobile transport to the front on short notice too

 

[Preet]

Reduce weight of Arjun mk2/3 so it's transportable and usefull with maneuverability and better technology for targetting, self defence and anti drone warfare,

and with SDRs, anti tank missiles, armour tech and thermal imaging for better surviability , use composites/lighter alloys for weight reductions, and with scope for addon armour and era against drones , shaped charges

68 tonnes on a 1500hp engine in Indian conditions of 40+ degree temperatures is not right, and it's difficult for rail or mobile transport to the front on short notice too

If you need armor, weight increases. That's what the army kept wanting. Their demands increased the weight of Arjun from 55T to 68T. Then they said now it's too heavy🤣 So typical. BTW, Leopard tank is the same weight, and Abrams is 70T+. So if you want the best type of tank, then you're going to have it heavy!! India must have such heavy tanks. Say 1000 in number for heavy firepower!!

Rest have 5-6000 FRCV and 3000 Zorawars..!!

 

[Sandeep]

This is good news as it’s essential to develop our own engines 100% indigenously which secures a complete end to end indigenous supply chain. This engine will be used for the Arjun MK1A and the FRCV which will be produced in the thousands. This will provide more jobs and business opportunities to our companies as well.

 

[Anant]

If you need armor, weight increases. That's what the army kept wanting. Their demands increased the weight of Arjun from 55T to 68T. Then they said now it's too heavy🤣 So typical. BTW, Leopard tank is the same weight, and Abrams is 70T+. So if you want the best type of tank, then you're going to have it heavy!! India must have such heavy tanks. Say 1000 in number for heavy firepower!!

Rest have 5-6000 FRCV and 3000 Zorawars..!!

10,000 tanks? Where do you think the money for that will come from? We need to maintain our force strength of about 4,000 tanks, but these need to be good tanks, not the obsolete deathtraps also known as the T-72.

 

[GMR]

Good progress, at least on one front for indegenious engines.. but the timeline of 2028 means Arjun will be hugely delayed and will loose relevance with FRCV on horizon

 

[Mango_Indian]

Who is responsible for serial production of this engine? Who are the principal component manufacturers? Where is this engine being tested? What are the results of the tests?

In Indian "indigenous" defence manufacturing, these are the key questions. None of them are answered in this article.

Another red flag, if any platform is developed indigenously, there are ten fathers claiming the credit. Check for Brahmos missile - the motor and guidance, even the casing is imported till date but so many DRDO "fathers" claiming credit.

 

[Preet]

10,000 tanks? Where do you think the money for that will come from? We need to maintain our force strength of about 4,000 tanks, but these need to be good tanks, not the obsolete deathtraps also known as the T-72.

4000 is what we used to have since 2-3 decades now. So are we on the same level we used to be 20-30 years back? Even Pakistan has 1000s of tanks.

India faces a clear 3-front war now. We probably need an additional 1000+ tanks just on the Bangladesh border. We can easily afford all this, but for all this we need a 3% budget (but sadly our budget allocation has been reduced from 2.8% to 1.8%).

Also, 3000 Zorawar tanks is what we need for LAC. 4-5000 T72 and T90 are to be replaced and additional tanks for Bangladesh.

India will always fight on land borders. Modern tanks are critical. I don't know what Indian authorities think, but India faces probably the worst neighbours across the globe, and Indian authorities are shamelessly slow. India faces a dragon superpower, and its two vassals which are filled with religious hate against India, and here we are reducing our budgetary allocation. Be it any service, it has been successfully turned into a disaster! The Airforce being the worst!

 

[Dredd]

Arjun should be now put down to rest with no furthur R&D and orders, Its already a 40 years old platform which is heavily updated and have become too bulky for our needs. Let's not become emotional and try to make any financial sense of the investment that went into it and focus solely on FMBT Program.

 

[Anant]

4000 is what we used to have since 2-3 decades now. So are we on the same level we used to be 20-30 years back? Even Pakistan has 1000s of tanks.

India faces a clear 3-front war now. We probably need an additional 1000+ tanks just on the Bangladesh border. We can easily afford all this, but for all this we need a 3% budget (but sadly our budget allocation has been reduced from 2.8% to 1.8%).

Also, 3000 Zorawar tanks is what we need for LAC. 4-5000 T72 and T90 are to be replaced and additional tanks for Bangladesh.

India will always fight on land borders. Modern tanks are critical. I don't know what Indian authorities think, but India faces probably the worst neighbours across the globe, and Indian authorities are shamelessly slow. India faces a dragon superpower, and its two vassals which are filled with religious hate against India, and here we are reducing our budgetary allocation. Be it any service, it has been successfully turned into a disaster! The Airforce being the worst!

Having more tanks means little beyond a point. The main problem you hit with that is to maintain that large a number of tanks as well as the block obsolescence issue.

Now, we do need more than the 300 or so Zorawars planned. There can be no denying that. Perhaps even a 1,000 or so of the Zorawar LTs. Beyond that, maintaining our MBT force at 3,500 to 4,000 (maybe aiming for a total tank force of 5,000) and investing money into anti-tank systems, drones, and other things would be far more effective than having 10,000 tanks and little else.

 

[Preet]

Having more tanks means little beyond a point. The main problem you hit with that is to maintain that large a number of tanks as well as the block obsolescence issue.

Now, we do need more than the 300 or so Zorawars planned. There can be no denying that. Perhaps even a 1,000 or so of the Zorawar LTs. Beyond that, maintaining our MBT force at 3,500 to 4,000 (maybe aiming for a total tank force of 5,000) and investing money into anti-tank systems, drones, and other things would be far more effective than having 10,000 tanks and little else.

Bro see, the US has 5500 tanks and it doesn't face land enemies.

China has 5000 tanks, they will use that only against India. They aren't fighting Russia, or anyone else on land (for Taiwan they have separate amphibious vehicles).

India is a different case. 3 land enemies. We need 6-7k tanks operational at a time (to have that availability we need more). Tanks are the only ones that have made Ukraine fall. Even though initially Russia lost a lot, but once they overcame drone impact, used special umbrella and anti-drone systems, their tanks have done more damage than the airforce. But anyway, it's just my opinion.