The Hindu : National : “Possibility of sabotage” during Arjun tank trials

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Friday, Apr 25, 2008
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“Possibility of sabotage” during Arjun tank trials

New Delhi: The government on Thursday spoke of the “possibility of sabotage” during the recent winter trials of Arjun tanks and this prompted Army Chief General Deepak Kapoor and other top officials to rush to the Avadi tank factory near Chennai to carry out fresh inspections.

Minister of State for Defence Production Rao Inderjit Singh told reporters that the possibility of sabotage should be examined. He said though the German engines in the tanks were used for over 15 years, it should be examined how they broke down during the winter trials.

“How can this happen all of a sudden?” he wondered

Eight years after placing an order for 124 tanks with the Ordinance Factory Board, the Army told the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Defence that the tanks had “fared very badly.”

Army officers told the committee that the tanks were miles away from meeting the Army’s requirement and there was need for several improvements before they could be declared battle-worthy. — PTI

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