In a significant milestone for the local defense manufacturing sector, India unveiled a light tank on Saturday, designed for rapid deployment and high mobility in mountainous regions. This tank is expected to be ready for induction into service by 2027, bolstering the army’s position against Chinese forces along the contested Line of Actual Control (LAC), according to officials.
The 25-tonne tank has been jointly developed by Larsen & Toubro and the Defence Research Development Organisation (DRDO) under Project Zorawar in approximately two years to fulfill the Indian Army’s requirement for 354 light tanks. It will now undergo rigorous trials.
An official noted that the tank was developed from scratch in the shortest possible time.
“It will be capable of operating in challenging conditions along the LAC with minimal logistical support. The tank will demonstrate its capabilities in summer and winter trials conducted in deserts and mountains over the next two years before it goes into production,” he said.
DRDO chief Samir V. Kamat reviewed the first prototype of the tank at L&T’s Hazira facility in Gujarat on Saturday, where it performed basic maneuvers.
The Chinese People’s Liberation Army has deployed several modern tanks, including light tanks with a high power-to-weight ratio, along the LAC. The military standoff between India and China in eastern Ladakh is now in its fifth year, with no resolution in sight, though India hopes ongoing negotiations will restore the status quo ante of April 2020.
The Indian Army has deployed heavier Russian-origin T-72 and T-90 tanks in the Ladakh region, but these have limitations as they are designed for operations in plains and deserts. The need for light tanks with adequate firepower, protection, surveillance, and communication capabilities became apparent after the border dispute began, officials said. The new capability will cost around ₹17,500 crore.
“The tank can be transported by air and is capable of amphibious operations. It can fire at high angles of elevation and perform the role of limited artillery,” said a second official, adding that the platform’s modular design can accommodate future upgrades.
The tank is expected to feature cutting-edge technologies, including artificial intelligence, drone integration, active protection systems, and superior situational awareness.
The tank is named Zorawar after the legendary general Zorawar Singh, who led the Dogra forces to victories in Ladakh and Tibet between 1834 and 1841. In May 1841, he led a 5,000-strong Dogra force into Tibet, quickly defeating Chinese forces and capturing their Mantalai flag.
In December 2022, the defense acquisition council granted its acceptance of necessity (AoN) and approved defense projects worth ₹84,328 crore to enhance the combat potential of the armed forces with new military hardware, including light tanks. Under India’s defense procurement rules, AoN by the council is the first step toward acquiring military hardware.
In a request for information published in April 2021, the army stated that the light tank must be versatile enough to operate in diverse terrain conditions and address various threats and the equipment profiles of the country’s adversaries.
In a subsequent note, the army described the light tank as a lethal and survivable platform with significant mobility advantages in high-altitude areas.
“These tanks, with superior mobility, all-terrain agility, multi-layered protection, precision lethal firepower, and real-time situational awareness integrating niche technology, will provide multiple options for rapid operational deployment, enabling the army to conduct operations across the entire spectrum of conflict,” the note said.
The tank was unveiled a day after Defense Minister Rajnath Singh announced that India had recorded its highest ever growth in the value of local defense production in the fiscal year 2023-24, reaching almost ₹1.27 lakh crore, a 17% increase from the previous year.
Of the total defense production value in 2023-24, 79.2% was contributed by defense public sector undertakings and other PSUs, with the remaining 20.8% coming from the private sector.
