India successfully conducted the preliminary automotive trials of light tank Zorawar.

It is a highly versatile platform being developed to boost the Army’s combat capabilities along the frontier with China.

Why does the Army plan to procure light tanks?

• The Army planned to procure the light tanks equipped with adequate firepower for deployment in high-altitude areas with an aim to enhance agility, manoeuvrability and operational capability.

• The Army has taken a series of measures since the Galwan Valley clashes in eastern Ladakh to enhance its combat capabilities.

• It deployed a significant number of easily transportable M-777 ultra light howitzers in mountainous regions along the LAC including in Arunachal Pradesh. The M-777 can be transported quickly in Chinook helicopters.

• The Army has also deployed heavy tanks like T-90 and T-72 and infantry combat vehicles in eastern Ladakh.

• The Artillery units of the Army have already deployed K-9 Vajra Tracked Self-Propelled Howitzers, Pinaka rocket systems and Dhanush gun systems along the frontier with China.

• The Indian and Chinese militaries have been locked in a standoff since May 2020 and a full resolution of the border row has not yet been achieved though the two sides have disengaged from a number of friction points. 

• The Indian Army is looking at deploying over 350 light tanks, mostly in the mountainous border areas.

• The development of Zorawar is seen to be aimed at countering China’s deployment of tanks of the same categories.

Development of Zorawar

• Zorawar has been successfully developed by the Combat Vehicles Research & Development Establishment, a unit of the DRDO, in collaboration with Larsen & Toubro Ltd.

• They are developing the air-transportable 25-tonne tank that has been designed for rapid deployment largely along the frontier with China.

• Numerous Indian industries, including Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs), contributed to the development of various sub-systems, showcasing the strength of indigenous defence manufacturing capabilities within the country.

• The defence ministry said the tank demonstrated exceptional performance, efficiently meeting all the intended objectives during the field trials conducted in desert terrain. 

• During the field trials conducted in the desert terrain, 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.

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