Thread by @KesariDhwaj

[When I drove an Arjun tank]
- One of the benefits of growing-up in Services environment is that you get to see the equipment up and close.
- It so happened that in early to mid-90s, my father was posted to Mamun Cantt, on eastern periphery of Pathankot.
- Now, Mamun Cantt is +

+ 'tank town'. It has a huge presence of armor or tanks.
- There are two Independent Armored Brigades here (written as (I) Armd Bde) amounting to six armored regiments or ~300 tanks!!!
- We would regularly see tanks going from Point A to Point B within the cantt.
- Sometimes on +

+ trailers (like in image below), sometimes on their own power.
- A friend and I almost had the distinction of head-on collision with a tank and almost getting crushed by it when it suddenly appeared in front of us.
- But that's a separate story.
+

+
- There was a place close to our residential colony where tanks used to cross-over the road as they went from unit lines towards their training area, which was big ground with flat and undulating surface.
- As expected, that small stretch of the road was always a mess +

+ because tank tracks used to uproot the black surface.
- Now, one (I) Armd Bde had Vijayanta tanks (1st pic) while the other had T-72 (2nd pic but the block that you see didn't exist then) and T-55 (3rd pic).
- Even as a school boy, I knew that T-72 was the 'best' & 'latest' +

+ and Vijayanta was OK while T-55 were old.
- So, it was planned to manage a look-see of T-72 tank.
- As luck would have it, an officer living in our block (typical fauji acco of 4 residential units in a block), was
serving with a regiment equipped with T-72.
+

- Regiment was 1 Horse ( you better not pronounce or write this as 1st Horse, lest some military purist take your happiness😆)
- One fine afternoon, we landed-up in the unit with the uncle and were taken to the garages.
- And there lined up parallel to each other were 'so many' +

+ T-72 tanks.
- We sat inside the tank and first thing that I noticed was how cramped it was.
- Commander (right side) & gunner (left side) sit in the turret, separated by breach of the main 125mm gun.
+

+
- Main gun is inches to your left or right.
- Imagine the noise when it fires inches away from your ear!
- Driver sits in front and has two steel handles for steering and a steel handle as gear lever with serrated placeholders for gears

- Video with details of seating within the turret & gun firing
- We went on a joyride and I also drove the tank (for 100 meters or so).
- Overall, it was an amazing experience and I came away with a certain impression about Russian product.

- Now, coming to Arjun.
- Indian Army got 15 Limited Series Production (LSP) Arjun tanks for trials.
- These were with 43rd Armored Regiment which later became the first armored regiment to convert fully to Arjun tanks.
- Well, it so happened that in early 90s, this regiment +

+ was located in Mamun Cantt.
- And I came to know about Arjun tanks with 43rd Armd Regt by a complete chance.
- We were playing in a ground adjacent to a road which went towards one of the (I) Armd Brigades.
- And lo and behold! I saw an Arjun tank on a trailer, pulled by TATRA+

+
- Little bit of asking around revealed the tanks were with 43rd AR.
- Well, I started pestering my father for some 'jugaad' to go and see the tank.
- And it so happened that there was an officer in the regiment who my father knew as he was from our state (IIRC).
- A request +

+ was made and permission received to visit at a certain day and time.
- One fine evening, a friend and me went jogging to 43 AR.
- And even before we entered the unit, parked in front of us were a couple of Arjun tanks in all their glory.
- And here's a funny bit +

+ when I saw those Arjun tanks, I realized that silhouette of some tanks was lower than others.
- And I was like, DRDO can't even make two tanks alike?
- Well, I later learnt that Arjun tank has hydro-pneumatic suspension which allows to raise or lower tank height.
😋🤪😋

+
- Video of advanced hydro-gas suspension unit in Arjun Mk 2.
- Hydro-X helps in a smooth ride as well as better gun accuracy.
- And of course, compared to simpler torsion bar on Russian tanks, they're a bit more complex to maintain.

+
- Next, we told the soldier standing at unit entrance that we're here to meet XYZ and were duly ushered into the said person's office.
- A person was detailed to explain to us the tank's working.
- We got on top of the tank and realized that the hatch of a multi-million dollar+

+ tank was secured with a common lock from outside! 😆
- Hatch was unlocked and we were went inside the turret.
- And my first impression was - how spacious this is!
- Remember, my last outing was in a T-72.
- If T-72 turret was a 1BHK in Mumbai, Arjun was a 3BHK in Gurgaon.

+ Arjun tank has a 3-man turret compared to 2-man in T-72.
- Commander and gunner sit in tandem position.
- Both enter from Commander's hatch (right side) but gunner sits in front and at a lower level while commander sits at back, directly below the hatch.
(images: DFI)

+
- And because in Arjun gun is fed by a dedicated loader who enters from the left hatch, there's room for him to stand.
- All this means turret is big and looks spacious to a layman like me.
- From tankman's perspective, bigger turret, bigger target
+

+
- Next feature which struck me was the commander's and gunner's console.
- Something like video game console.
- Below is commander's seat. You can make out the joystick with red fire button on top.
- Commander can override the gunner and take control at any time.
+

+
- Similarly, gunner's thermal sight seemed almost otherworldly.
- Check the controls in 2nd pic to elevate/depress the main gun and rotate the turret.
- While sitting in the gunner's seat, I was checking the thermal sight and a bit afar, I could make someone peeing.
+

+
- His back was facing towards the tank.
- I centered the gun on him. As he started moving after doing his business, I started to follow-him.
- After a few seconds, he saw the tank gun following him.
- Immediately, he started shouting & waving at soldiers sitting outside on +

+ the turret as to what are you doing? Its me....etc. He got really spooked and we all had a great laugh.
- The other revelation was driver's cabin.
- Instead of steel bars for steering, there was a nice centrally mounted steering console (the pic below is of a later version)+

+
- And again, if I remember correctly, there was just the brake and accelerator paddle.
- When you switch on the tank, its in first gear.
- Pic below shows the puny sized gear-shift compared to steel contraption on T-72!
- And yes, you blow the horn with your feet.
+

+
- After having learnt all the major features of the tank, it was time to take it for a spin.
- There was a dry river bed next to the unit location.
- Off we went for a spin, sitting on the turret and holding for our dear lives.
- And were give a chance to drive it ourselves+

+ for 500 meters or so in the river-bed.
- And that is how I first saw Arjun tank, got a look at all its bells and whistles and managed a short drive as well.
- Being Fauji kids has its privileges.
- Someday, I'll tell you a story of how I shot down a Mig-21 and a Mi-35.
Cheers!