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Rakesh wrote: ↑11 Jan 2026 06:53
The irony of Atmanirbhar Bharat ---> components of the "zealously-over-trialed-and-sabotaged" Arjun MBT is making its way into Russian-origin T-90s. Only in India will such miraculous events occur
This is by design. Similar to the concept of *digestion* by Rajiv Malhotra. An influential section of our Armed Forces want our MIC to be, at-best, component manufacturers and not system-developers because the latter is more value-added (read baksheesh) and we trust only foreign maal
If we do induct systems (like Prachand, ATAGS etc), it will be in-spite-of the AF Leadership, not because of them. It is due to pressure from the top (Parikkar, Modi etc) or some handful of believers inside the system who push through projects like Pinaka.
Prem Kumar wrote: ↑14 Jan 2026 19:49
Similar to the concept of *digestion* by Rajiv Malhotra.
This 'digestion' has happened for a long time. The Britshits stole a bunch of stuff from India include hero Newton with Vaisesika sutra laws - all of them, and of course calculus too. Math and science was India's forte for a long time and the entire decimal system was taken in toto by the west.
The armed forces are a legacy of Britshits and many of the customs/practices/ranks are from their systems, practiced even today by Indian forces. Indians became slaves to the Britshits and the rich ones were the brokers/dalals who made money running britshit systems of loot worldwide. The current moneybags of India have a history dating back to the drug trade of the Britshits. Their outlook is entirely different than the new breed of enterpreuners of India.
Indian army is probably the most behind amongst the rest (IAF, IN) in adopting desi maal. Though IAF for a long time was fond of videshi maal. Only the IN charted a course of desi maal since their budgets were lower than the others. Look at how IA gate crashed into the helo space by adopting desi maal from HAL and thumbing their nose at IAF. Maybe IAF can run armoured vehicles, they will adopt the Arjun.
India requires a Manohar parrikar type mantriji to set the culture of armed forces to true Atmanirbhar.
Admins please pin this video to the Armoured Vehicles thread, everyone who visits the page must go through this story and understand the ground reality.
Finally the inside stories from the DRDO side is coming out exposing the issues within our forces and MOD. This is a must watch for every well wisher of indigenous weapons. Why DRDO Took Decades to Build India's Arjun Tank: Ravi Gupta, Former DRDO Scientist Why DRDO Took Decades to Build India's Arjun Tank: Ravi Gupta, Former DRDO Scientist
The Arjun Main Battle Tank is an indigenous weapon platform designed by the DRDO to provide India with self-reliant armored capabilities. Sanctioned in 1974, it was engineered to balance firepower, protection, and mobility specifically for Indian terrain. The tank features a 120mm main gun capable of firing diverse ammunition such as thermobaric rounds and anti-tank guided missiles. It utilizes indigenously developed Kanchan composite armor reinforced with Explosive Reactive Armor to withstand modern warheads. Its hydro-pneumatic suspension offers superior stabilization and allows for a pivot turn capability, earning it the nickname "Desert Ferrari" for its agility.
Former DRDO scientist Ravi Gupta attributes the project's extended timeline to complex, evolving technical requirements. He notes that frequent revisions to the General Staff Qualitative Requirements (GSQR), such as the significant transition from a 105mm to a 120mm gun, necessitated major redesigns. Gupta indicates that rigid bureaucratic structures and the parallel import of T-90 tanks influenced indigenous production scales. Consequently, the Arjun underwent exhaustive validation, covering 70,000 kilometers in trials to prove its reliability within the procurement framework.
