India unveils light battle tank 'Zorawar' for Ladakh-like terrain

HAZIRA(GUJARAT): India has unveiled its first indigenously designed and developed light battle tank that will be capable of delivering devastating firepower at high altitude battlefields and operating in all-weather conditions.

Developed in a record time of under two years in response to Chinese armoured deployments in Eastern Ladakh, the 25 ton tank named 'Zorawar' is the result of a public-private partnership between DRDO and L&T.

DRDO Chief Samir V Kamat reviewed the project at the L&T production facility in Hazira on Saturday, with the Zorwar carrying out high speed ground tests and showcasing its ability to transverse high incline slopes. Next, the tank will head to a specialised track near Chennai where it will be thoroughly tested in all conditions, following which it will be offered to the Army for trials.

"We have to go through summer trials and winter trials and there will also be high altitude trials. In my estimation, it will take about a year to year and a half to complete the full cycle of trials. I would say that by 2027 we should get the first tank into service," Kamat said after reviewing the project.

He added that the short developmental cycle has been achieved as DRDO synergised its capabilities with the industry. L&T's JD Patil said that the short development time is a world record when it comes to such a system. He added that it took the company just 19 month to get the tank running for tests from when the contract was awarded by DRDO.

"This partnership example provides the way ahead for development of complex systems / platforms indigenously through Synergy of strengths between both strong partners - DRDO and L&T, leveraging each other's proven capabilities and track record to accomplish the development, complete first set of track trials and concurrently achieve production readiness of high order under two years," Patil said.

The need for a light tank was felt after tensions built up in eastern Ladakh in 2020 and China deployed light armour at high altitude locations. Following consultants with the Army, the DRDO in April 2022 initiated its development with L&T.

Named Zorawar by the Army the tank has more mobility and higher accuracy fire power than the Chinese Type 15 tanks that have been deployed on the Ladakh border.

The weight of the tank has been kept at 25 tons for higher mobility at extreme altitudes and will feature a 105 mm gun made by John Cockerill, which will also be produced in India.

It features active protection against attacks and has an integrated Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) that will greatly enhance battlefield visibility.

The project ran into a slight delay last year after Germany held back export clearances for the tank engine that was placed by India. After repeated delays in German government clearances for the export, an American alternative was chosen for the project that brought the development back on track.

The Army has a requirement of 354 light tanks, which can be deployed at high altitude areas of Ladakh. For now, 59 are to be made by L&T-DRDO.