India begins preliminary tanks trials of its new light tank

NEW DELHI: The preliminary automotive and field-firing trials of the indigenous `Zorawar’ light tank, designed for high-altitude warfare in places like eastern Ladakh and Arunachal Pradesh amid the military confrontation with China, have now been conducted in the desert terrain.

“During the field trials, the light tank demonstrated exceptional performance, efficiently meeting all the intended objectives. In the initial phase, the tank’s firing performance was rigorously evaluated, and it achieved the required accuracy on designated targets,” a DRDO official said on Friday.

Lauding the DRDO, Army and all associated industry partners for the successful trials of the light tank, defence minister Rajnath Singh it was as a significant milestone towards India's goal of self-reliance in critical defence systems and technologies.

DRDO has announced that the light tank will be ready for induction into the Army by 2027. The 25-tonne tank will have to undergo a series of summer and winter trials, including in deserts and high-altitude areas, over the next two to three years before the entire acquisition, production and induction process can begin.

The need for such tanks, with a high power-to-weight ratio as well as superior firepower and protection, has been driven home by the continuing military confrontation with China in eastern Ladakh, which is into its fifth year now.

The Army’s case for 354 such tanks, which will cost an estimated Rs 17,500 crore, was given preliminary approval or “acceptance of necessity” by the Rajnath Singh-led Defence Acquisitions Council in December 2022.

While 59 of these light tanks are reserved for DRDO, which has L&T as the “lead system integrator”, the rest 295 are to be manufactured under the government-funded design and development `Make-1’ category, which is open to companies other than L&T as well, as was first reported by TOI.