India’s Counter To China-DRDO Unveils “Zorawar!”

Recently, DRDO and L&T unveiled the first prototype of light battle tank, “Zorawar.”  The tank was recently tested in Gujarat’s Hazira and has been jointly developed by DRDO and L&T. It has been mainly built to counter Chinese deployment in the eastern Ladakh area.

DRDO Chief Mr. Samir V Kamath states that the Indian army will induct Zorawar by 2027 after trials. Furthermore, taking lessons from Russia-Ukraine war, the tank has been equipped with UAVs and loitering munitions.

Getting Into Details…

Zorawar is a 25 ton tank and the first one to be designed and made ready for trials in record time of 2 years. Getting into its credentials, it is a light weight tank which can climb steep mountains and cross rivers easily than others. Another unique thing about it is that besides being lightweight it has all the fundamental parameters of a tank. Interestingly, it was been named after General Zorawar Singh who had led operations in Ladakh and Tibet.

As of now, the Indian army has placed an initial order of 59 Zorawar tanks. These tanks will help balance scales against Chinese lightweight mountain tanks like Type 15. Zorawar’s mobility, maneuverability and firepower will greatly enhance India’s military position against China. Its induction will give significant advantage to India in high altitudes areas of Ladakh.

#WATCH | Exclusive footage of the light tank Zorawar developed jointly by DRDO and Larsen and Toubro. The tank project being developed for the Indian Army was reviewed by DRDO chief Dr Samir V Kamat in Hazira, Gujarat today. The tank has been developed by the DRDO to meet the… pic.twitter.com/bkJHdWkoWo

— ANI (@ANI) July 6, 2024

Statement of DRDO…

The DRDO chief speaking to ANI commented, “It’s indeed a momentous day for all of us to see the light tank in action. It makes me happy and proud. It’s indeed an example. In a short period of two years to two and a half years, we have not only designed this tank but made a first prototype and now the first prototype will undergo development trials over the next six months, and then we will be ready to offer it to our users for user trials. Zorawar is expected to be inducted into the Indian Army by the year 2027 after all trials.”

Commenting on its uniqueness, Mr. Rajesh Kumar, DRDO tank lab director, said, “what is unique about this tank is the weight as well as the combination of the fundamental parameters of a tank, which is the fire, power, mobility and protection. All three are optimized in such a way that the weight is also maintained. At the same time, you are getting all the parameters. So that is where we stand.”

Overall, in coming year, with the induction of Zorawar, Indian army will be better equipped. It will no longer have to operate on tanks like T-72, and T-90 tanks in Ladakh area where they are unsuitable for operations. This is because at such high altitudes their horsepower reduces due to their heavy weight. This is precisely why lightweight tanks like Zorawar and ZTQ-15 will greatly boost our military capabilities.