The army had insisted on the delivery of a full regiment (45 tanks) of Arjun before the comparative trials can be conducted. This demand was met when the DRDO delivered 16 more tanks to the army.

The army has made it clear that it will buy no more than the 124 Arjuns it has contracted because it is unhappy with the tank on various counts.

This apart, the army says the Arjun can at best remain in service for five to 10 years while it is looking 20 years ahead and needs a futuristic MBT.

The Indian Army laid down its qualitative requirement for the Arjun in 1972. In 1982, it was announced that a prototype was ready for field trials. However, the tank was publicly unveiled for the first time only in 1995.

Arjun was originally meant to be a 40-tonne tank with a 105 mm gun. It has now grown to a 50-tonne tank with a 120-mm gun. The tank was meant to supplement and eventually replace the Soviet-era T-72 MBT that was inducted in the early 1980s.

However, delays in the Arjun project and Pakistan's decision to purchase the T-80 from Ukraine prompted India to order 310 T-90s, an upgraded version of the T-72, in 2001.