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Tank Ex, or Karna Tank, was the code name of the prototype
main battle tank A main battle tank (MBT), also known as a battle tank or universal tank or simply tank,Ogorkiewicz 2018 p222 is a tank that fills the role of armour-protected direct fire and maneuver in many modern armies. Cold War-era development of more po ...
developed by the
Defence Research and Development Organisation The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) is an agency under the Department of Defence Research and Development in the Ministry of Defence of the Government of India, charged with the military's research and development, head ...
(DRDO) in 2002. Tank ex is based on existing Arjun and Ajeya tank. This MBT uses turret and weapon system's of the Arjun MBT and chassis of the T-72 M1 (Ajeya) MBT. Tank Ex was developed as an attempt to modernize India's existing Ajeya tanks, using technology derived from the development of the Arjun MBT. It was named after ''
Karna Karna (Sanskrit: कर्ण, IAST: ''Karṇa''), also known as Vasusena, Anga-Raja, Sutaputra and Radheya, is one of the major characters in the Hindu epic ''Mahābhārata''. He is the son of Surya (the Sun deity) and princess Kunti (later ...
'', the chief protagonist of the Indian epic ''The
Mahabharata The ''Mahābhārata'' ( ; , , ) is one of the two major Sanskrit Indian epic poetry, epics of ancient India revered as Smriti texts in Hinduism, the other being the ''Ramayana, Rāmāyaṇa''. It narrates the events and aftermath of the Kuru ...
''. It underwent six months of trials, but was subsequently rejected by the Indian Army. Total eight Tank Ex prototypes were built.


History

The Tank Ex MBT uses the chassis of the T-72M1 (Ajeya) and the turret and weapon system of the Arjun. It was developed in 2002 as a private venture and was intended to provide a solution for upgrading the Indian Army's ageing T-72M1 fleet. It was rejected by the Indian Army after eight prototypes and six months of trials. On July 5, 2008, Gen. Dalip Bhardwaj, the Indian Army's Director General of Mechanized forces (DGMF), declared that the army had rejected Tank Ex. This was part of an announcement that there would be no further orders for Arjun tanks, and that the military would be inviting participants from various countries to discuss future tank developments.Rahul Bedi, “India Abandons Plans to Order More Arjun MBTs”, ''Jane's Defence Weekly,'' 16 July 2010, p 25.


Specifications

Weighing in at 47 tons, the Tank Ex is heavier than the T-72M1 (41 tons) and much lighter than the Arjun MBT, (58.4 tons). It has a power plant giving a
power-to-weight ratio Power-to-weight ratio (PWR, also called specific power, or power-to-mass ratio) is a calculation commonly applied to engines and mobile power sources to enable the comparison of one unit or design to another. Power-to-weight ratio is a measurement ...
of /ton for a total weight of 47 tons. This represents an improvement over the T-72M1's /ton, with a weight of 41 tons and a power plant. The Tank Ex utilizes the Arjun MBT's 120 mm rifled gun firing unitary
APFSDS Armour-piercing fin-stabilized discarding sabot (APFSDS), long dart penetrator, or simply dart ammunition is a type of kinetic energy penetrator ammunition used to attack modern vehicle armour. As an armament for main battle tanks, it succeeds arm ...
and HESH semi combustible cartridge case ammunition. A total of 32 rounds are carried, as compared with 39 in the Arjun and 45 two piece rounds in the T-72. A
global positioning system The Global Positioning System (GPS) is a satellite-based hyperbolic navigation system owned by the United States Space Force and operated by Mission Delta 31. It is one of the global navigation satellite systems (GNSS) that provide ge ...
is provided for accurate navigation. This is a feature common to both the Arjun MBT and the Combat Improved ''Ajeya''. The Tank Ex utilizes the " Kanchan"
composite armour Composite armour is a type of vehicle armour consisting of layers of different materials such as metals, plastics, ceramics or air. Most composite armours are lighter than their all-metal equivalent, but instead occupy a larger volume for the sa ...
, especially over its frontal arc (turret as well as
glacis A glacis (, ) in military engineering is an artificial slope as part of a medieval castle or in early modern fortresses. They may be constructed of earth as a temporary structure or of stone in more permanent structure. More generally, a glaci ...
), giving it protection against both Kinetic and
HEAT In thermodynamics, heat is energy in transfer between a thermodynamic system and its surroundings by such mechanisms as thermal conduction, electromagnetic radiation, and friction, which are microscopic in nature, involving sub-atomic, ato ...
rounds. The usage of the ''Arjun'' turret design indicates that the Tank Ex may also have its "ready" ammunition stored in the bustle (as in the Arjun), separated from the crew and provided with blow-off panels. This would be a significant protective feature comparable with Western design practices. The Tank Ex retains the T-72's mobility, with a road speed of 60 km/h and a cross-country speed of 40 km/h. With a maximum gradient climb of 30 degrees, it remains in line with all variants of the T-72, like the T-72BM. The Tank Ex is better at trench crossing with a capability of crossing 2.6 meters as compared to the T-72M1's 2.28 metres. The Tank Ex can also climb vertical obstacles up to 0.85 metres tall. The tank's shallow fording capabilities are quoted as 1.2 metres. The Tank Ex should also have the capability to fire the
Israel Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...
i
LAHAT The LAHAT (laser homing attack or laser homing anti-tank, also a Hebrew word for ''incandescence'') is a third generation semi-active laser homing low-weight anti-tank guided missile developed since 1991 and manufactured by Israel Aerospace In ...
missile from its gun-barrel, like the ''Arjun''.


References

{{T-64_navigation, style=wide Main battle tanks of India Post–Cold War main battle tanks Defence Research and Development Organisation Experimental and prototype tanks T-72