India
India begins preliminary testing of its new Zorawar light tank | India News – Times of India
NEW DELHI: Preliminary tests of the indigenous light tank `Zorawar’, designed for high altitude warfare in places like Eastern Ladakh and Arunachal Pradesh amidst the military confrontation with China, have now been carried out in the desert.
“During the field trials, the light tank demonstrated exceptional performance and met all the intended objectives efficiently. In the initial phase, the firing performance of the tank was rigorously evaluated and it achieved the required accuracy on designated targets,” a DRDO official said on Friday.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh lauded the DRDO, the Army and all the industrial partners involved for the successful trials of the light tank. He termed it a major milestone towards India’s goal of becoming self-reliant in key defence systems and technologies.
DRDO has announced that the light tank will be ready for induction into service with the army by 2027. The 25-tonne tank will have to undergo a series of summer and winter tests over the next two to three years, including in deserts and high-altitude areas, before the full procurement, production and induction process can begin.
The need for such tanks, with a high power-to-weight ratio and superior firepower and protection, has been further emphasised by the ongoing military confrontation with China in eastern Ladakh, which has been going on for five years now.
The Army’s request to build 354 such tanks, estimated to cost Rs 17,500 crore, received preliminary approval or ‘acceptance of necessity’ from the Defence Acquisitions Council headed by Rajnath Singh in December 2022.
While 59 of these light tanks have been reserved for DRDO, which has L&T as the “lead system integrator”, the remaining 295 will be produced under the government-funded design and development ‘Make-1’ category, which is also open to companies other than L&T, as first reported by TOI.
“During the field trials, the light tank demonstrated exceptional performance and met all the intended objectives efficiently. In the initial phase, the firing performance of the tank was rigorously evaluated and it achieved the required accuracy on designated targets,” a DRDO official said on Friday.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh lauded the DRDO, the Army and all the industrial partners involved for the successful trials of the light tank. He termed it a major milestone towards India’s goal of becoming self-reliant in key defence systems and technologies.
DRDO has announced that the light tank will be ready for induction into service with the army by 2027. The 25-tonne tank will have to undergo a series of summer and winter tests over the next two to three years, including in deserts and high-altitude areas, before the full procurement, production and induction process can begin.
The need for such tanks, with a high power-to-weight ratio and superior firepower and protection, has been further emphasised by the ongoing military confrontation with China in eastern Ladakh, which has been going on for five years now.
The Army’s request to build 354 such tanks, estimated to cost Rs 17,500 crore, received preliminary approval or ‘acceptance of necessity’ from the Defence Acquisitions Council headed by Rajnath Singh in December 2022.
While 59 of these light tanks have been reserved for DRDO, which has L&T as the “lead system integrator”, the remaining 295 will be produced under the government-funded design and development ‘Make-1’ category, which is also open to companies other than L&T, as first reported by TOI.
