Article Posted on : - Sep 16, 2024

The Zorawar light tank. (Photo: PIB)

NEW DELHI (PTI): India has successfully conducted the preliminary automotive trials of the light tank, Zorawar, a highly versatile platform being developed to boost the Indian Army's combat capabilities along the frontier with China.

The tank demonstrated "exceptional" performance, efficiently meeting all the intended objectives during the field trials conducted in desert terrain, the Defence Ministry said.

The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and the L&T Defence are developing the air-transportable 25-tonne tank that has been designed for rapid deployment largely along the frontier with China.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh described the successful trials of the Indian light tank as a "significant milestone" towards India's goal of self-reliance in critical defence systems and technologies.

"The DRDO on September 13 successfully conducted the preliminary automotive trials of the Indian light Tank, Zorawar, a highly versatile platform capable of deployment in high-altitude areas," the Ministry said.

"During the field trials conducted in the desert terrain, the Light Tank demonstrated exceptional performance, efficiently meeting all the intended objectives," it said.

"In the initial phase, the tank's firing performance was rigorously evaluated and it achieved the required accuracy on designated targets," it added.

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

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

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

"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," it said.

Indian 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 the 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.