May 30, 2006: Another Indian weapons program has turned into a disaster. This time it's the Arjun tank. Development began in the 1980s, and so far, the army only has five of the tanks, for evaluation purposes. The evaluation is not going well. Originally, the Arjun was to have replaced thousands of Russian tanks, but now, after so many delays, the army only wants 128 Arjuns. But even that may be too optimistic. As has so often happened with other weapons projects, the Arjun is having problems with its electronics. In this case, it's the fire control system. But Arjun has also had problems with its engine, and that fact that its size and weight prevents it from being used with current tank transporters. The Defense Ministry cannot bring itself to admit defeat, so all attempts to just cancel Arjun have failed. Instead, the number ordered will be reduced until, well, perhaps none will appear in regular service.
