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SOURCE: RAUNAK KUNDE / NEWS BEAT / IDRW.ORG

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At the recent Indian Armour Symposium, Lt Gen Vivek Kashyap, Director General of the Armoured Corps, outlined the Indian Army’s future plans for a new generation of light battle tanks. Speaking to an audience of defense experts, industry leaders, and military officials, Lt Gen Kashyap revealed that the Army intends to work closely with private industry partners to develop a future light battle tank. These tanks, according to him, will be tailored to meet the evolving needs of the Army, especially in high-intensity and varied operational environments.

The Indian Army is moving forward with plans to identify two private industry partners after a thorough technical evaluation, who will each develop their own variants of the future light battle tank. These tanks will be built to meet specific Army requirements, focusing on mobility, survivability, firepower, and cost-efficiency. Lt Gen Kashyap emphasized that the collaboration between DRDO, L&T, and private industry will be critical in creating a platform that is adaptable, innovative, and future-proof for battlefield conditions.

Currently, the Army is collaborating with DRDO and L&T to develop the Zorawar Light Tank. This prototype will undergo trials in 2025, marking an important milestone in the Army’s future Armour development. However, Media reports have mentioned that the Zorawar Light Tank order has been capped at 59 units for the initial phase. This limited number of units will evaluate the tank’s performance in real-world conditions before making further decisions regarding its deployment across various sectors.

In the long term, the Army plans to expand the Zorawar platform by allowing two private sector companies to create their own variants. These new versions will integrate both technological and design improvements based on operational requirements. After the evaluation of the two variants, the Army will select the winning tank concept for large-scale production.

Once the winning design is selected, the Army intends to procure 300 units of the new light battle tank. This could potentially increase to 700 units as the Army continues to recognize the growing strategic importance of these tanks for both border defence and internal operations. Lt Gen Kashyap highlighted that the procurement is not limited to the Line of Actual Control (LAC) with China but also covers crucial strategic regions such as the Rann of Kutch along the Western border with Pakistan.

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