Modern light tank alternatives8/25/2023 ![]() The K21-105 for example, weighs 25 tonnes according to Hanwha. There is also the matter of survivability at the stated weight, which is likely to be an immovable requirement for the programme, if it is to meet its mobility requirements. For the vehicle to be capable of navigating the Ladakh region and providing greater mobility than India’s existing tank fleet, it will need a suitably powerful and robust engine. For comparison, China’s light tank, the ZTQ-15, is powered by a 745.7 kW (1,000 hp) engine at a maximum vehicle weight of 30 tonnes. This in turn leads to a reduction in power-to-weight ratios, as well as a loss of mobility and manoeuvrability. This means that the 581.6 kW (780 hp) engine of India’s basic T-72, would produce approximately 494.4 kW (663 hp) at the highest point in the Ladakh region, whereas the 745.7 kW (1,000 hp) engine of India’s T-90S fleet would be reduced to 633.8 kW (850 hp). At high altitudes, internal combustion engines lose power – around 3 per cent for every 305 m (1,000 ft) of elevation due to oxygen density decreasing with altitude. The requirements for the ZORAWAR are also ambitious. Additionally, the country’s attempts to modernise its fleet of T-72M1s have been ongoing since the 1980s without reaching a successful conclusion, leading to reports that large portions of the fleet are inoperable. ![]() Its performance in the 1999 Kargil war was lacklustre, and the Indian Army was driven to search for a replacement, which it found in the AK-203. India’s domestic INSAS assault rifle became one of the primary rifles of Indian forces from 1998 after a protracted and delayed development process. The ARJUN MBT is the most notorious example of a troubled development programme, but it is not alone. However, those projects that have been developed from scratch in India have often met with significant resistance. India has had extensive success introducing locally-manufactured T-90S Main Battle Tanks (MBTs) and BMP-2 Infantry Fighting Vehicles (IFVs) into service, and the first licence-produced K9 Vajra self-propelled howitzer (SPH) was displayed by L&T in 2020. The RFI was driven by an increase in tensions with China at the time, industry press reported. A very similar RFI was issued by the Indian MoD in 2009, which covered wheeled and tracked vehicles for use at high altitudes and in a reconnaissance role as part of India’s ‘Cold Start’ strategy. The New Indian Express’ source added that the design is expected to include Artificial Intelligence (AI) and UAV integration.ĭespite recent progress, it is far from certain that the programme will reach a successful conclusion. The RFI also indicated that the vehicle should: ![]() The RFI was extensive, and indicated an interest in procurement of 350 domestically-manufactured vehicles with good mobility on most terrains, capable of operating at high altitudes, carrying multiple forms of protection including Explosive Reactive Armour (ERA), an Active Protection System (APS), and signature management solutions. The Indian MoD released an ambitious request for information (RFI) in 2021, approval for which was granted shortly after the 2020 stand-off with China in the Ladakh region. The tank is to be known as ‘Zorawar’ after Indian general Zorawar Singh Kahluria, who is credited with conquering the Ladakh region in 1835. Once the prototype has completed extensive trials, it will progress to tender and is expected to be built in India, which would require some form of technology transfer if a foreign manufacturer is involved. Hanwha had also expressed interest in the programme, offering its 105 mm armed K21-105 in a potential production deal with L&T in 2021. It is understood that a prototype of the first vehicle is to be produced by the end of 2023 as a result of collaboration between the company Larsen and Toubro (L&T) and India’s Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO). India is to move ahead with the ambitious domestic development of a light tank capable of fighting in the mountainous Ladakh region that borders China, the New Indian Express reported on 20 September 2022, citing “sources in the security establishment.”
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