As rivals, both India and Pakistan maintain a large number of main battle tanks (MBTs)
The question is how will India's Arjun MK-1A fight against the Pakistani domestic tanks?
In early March, Indian Prime Minister Modi decided to increase the number of Arjun Mk-1A main battle tanks by 118 units
This is the MBT which is rated as the "world's leading" main battle tank by Indian experts
The series of upgrades to the new version of the Arjun Mk-1A is expected to provide a decisive advantage over all the tanks that the Pakistani army owns
Arjun Mk-1A main battle tank developed by India's Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), for the Indian Army
The Mk-1A applied about 71 modifications, upgrading it to a "monster", completely different from the Arjun Mk-1 version
The Mk-1A has been upgraded in firepower, maneuverability and protection
The tank is equipped with a 360-degree panoramic sight, giving the ability to observe all day/night
The computerised fire control system aboard Arjun has been jointly developed by DRDO with Israeli company Elbit
The Fire Control System is stabilised on two axes, and with an extremely high hit probability replaces an earlier analogue one
The combined day sight from Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) and the thermal imager (formerly from Sagem) constitute the gunner's primary sight
The commander's independent thermal viewer, weapon station, position navigation equipment
and a full set of controls and displays have been linked by a digital data bus for improved fire control system The commander's independent thermal viewer, weapon station, position navigation equipment
and a full set of controls and displays have been linked by a digital data bus for improved fire control system
The Arjun has an auxiliary power unit to operate weapon systems in silent watch mode as well
The Mk-1A can carry 39 shells of all kinds, can challenge any target
Armed with a 120 mm rifled gun, the Arjun is capable of firing APFSDS rounds
HE, HEAT, High Explosive Squash Head rounds at the rate of 6–8 rounds per minute
The hull and turret of Arjun Mk.1A have been modified to give a lower silhouette making detection more difficult
while it also supports the newly developed Thermo-Baric (TB) and Penetration-cum-Blast (PCB) ammunition
DRDO developed cannon launched guided missile that will replace the LAHAT
will be integrated with Arjun Mk.1A after they start rolling out from the production line
The Mk-1A is equipped with Kanchan supplemental modular armor, which further enhances the protection against anti-tank ammunition
Pakistan's tank stockpile is quite diverse, some produced in cooperation with China, including Al-Khalid and Al-Zarar
In addition, Pakistan also has some imported MBTs including T-80UD from Ukraine; Chinese Type-85/69/59
The Pakistani army currently has about 2,400 MBTs, staffed into 50 regiments
The largest number of tanks is the Type-59/Al-Zarrar (the Chinese version of the Soviet T-54), about 1,100 units
The Type-59/Al-Zarrar tank has been upgraded to firepower, using a 125mm smoothbore gun
Auxiliary weapons are retained, including a 12.7 mm gun on the top of the turret
and a coaxial 7.62 mm machine gun
Al-Zarrar can use APFSDS, HEAT-FS, HE-FS ammunition and can launch guided anti-tank missiles
Pakistan and China cooperated in the 1990s, to produce about 350 Al Khalid main battle tanks, based on the Chinese Type 90-IIM tank
The most recent and modernized version, the Al Khalid-1, entered service with the Pakistani Army last June
Al Khalid-1 MBT is equipped with advanced protection against smart ammunition and other advanced attacks
In addition, the Al Khalid-1 is upgraded with an automatic loader, control and command system
The best performing MBTs of the Pakistan Army are the 320 T-80UDs, an improved variant of the T-64
T-80UD is considered to have features on par with the Arjun Mk1A of India
The latest deal of the Pakistani Army is the purchase of the VT-4 main battle tank from China
The Pakistan Army says the VT-4 can challenge any modern tank in the world
It possesses advanced protective armor, good maneuverability and firepower, and state-of-the-art technology
India and Pakistan are both actively modernizing their MBTs.
It is difficult to judge the end of a tank battle between the nation
Both boast the powerful firepower and maneuverability of their MBTs, that they can destroy the enemy
Indian tanks engines and gearboxes are supplied by German companies MTU and Renk respectively
while Pakistani tanks mainly used Ukrainian engines
But Pakistani tanks have the advantage of agile maneuverability, due to their smaller weight
This can be a decisive advantage, in a tank battle