Explained: How New ‘Mountain Tank’ Will Enhance Army’s Combat Capabilities

Learning lessons from the standoff with China in Eastern Ladakh and fine-tuning them by observing what’s been happening in the war between Russia and Ukraine, the Defence Research and Development Organisation has developed India’s first ‘mountain tank’, Zorawar, which successfully completed its first phase of trials on Friday. 

The air-transportable, 25-tonne combat platform, developed for high-altitude deployment, has been designed to meet India’s needs on the frontier with China. 

“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 Defence Ministry said.

“During the field trials conducted in the desert terrain, the light tank demonstrated exceptional performance, efficiently meeting all the intended objectives,” it added.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh described the successful trials as a “significant milestone” on  India’s path to self-reliance in critical defence systems and technologies.

Developed by DRDO’s Combat Vehicles Research & Development Establishment (CVRDE) in association with Larsen and Toubro, the Army is planning to deploy 350 Zorawar tanks, mostly in mountainous terrain. 

DRDO had earlier developed the Arjun, a third-generation main battle tank weighing 58.5 tonnes but, after the confrontation with China, the need was felt for a lighter tank for hilly terrain. 

What Makes It Special

Developed in a record time of about three years, Zorawar, which means “courageous” in Punjabi, will be ready to be inducted into the Army in another three. The project has been named after General Zorawar Singh Kahluria, who had served under Raja Gulab Singh of Jammu’s Dogra dynasty and  helped expand the Dogra territory by conquering Ladakh.

Being light, it can be easily deployed in border areas by helicopter. Experts said the tank will prove to be very effective even in bad weather and difficult conditions on the northern border, and can also perform well in desert areas.

Equipped with armour which is strong for its category of tanks, it can wade through water as well. Its speed is about 60 kilometres per hour on land and it is equipped with the Cockerill 3105 turret with a 105-millimetre calibre gun. Machine guns can be mounted on it and anti-tank guided missiles can also be installed.

With its ability to fire at high angles of elevation, the tank can perform the role of limited artillery and it is a versatile platform which has been built in a modular fashion to accommodate future upgrades.