![]() ![]() 50 caliber machine gun and a 40-mm automatic grenade launcher. It features an autoloading 105-mm gun with a 3,000-meter maximum firing range and can fire ATGMS to engage targets beyond effective gun range. According to Army Recognition, the ZTQ-15 has a 3-man crew and weighs 33 to 36 tons, depending on the armor configuration. India’s Project Zorawar is pointed against China’s ZTQ-15 light tank, which has been deployed in the Himalayas. It also states that the tank should have a 25:1 horsepower-per-ton ratio and feature low ground pressure to operate in marginal terrain and wetlands, with fording capability seen as essential. The document also mentions compliance with Standard NATO Agreement (STANAG) armor protection levels, with add-on explosive reactive armor (ERA) applicable. ![]() It also notes that the tank will feature a remote-control weapons station (RCWS) for its secondary armament. The main gun should have an autoloader and will be able to fire modern smart munitions and anti-tank-guided missiles (ATGM). In response to these shortcomings, the Indian Ministry of Defense (MOD) issued in April last year a Request for Information for Light Tanks for the Indian Army, which outlines requirements for 350 indigenously-built light tanks alongside their design parameters.Īccording to the document, India’s light tanks should not exceed 25 tons and should have a modular design. ![]() ![]() However, the Russia-Ukraine War has since impacted the manufacturing and sustainment of India’s Russian-made tank fleet, making it imperative for India to design and develop indigenous light tanks, notes Rajat Pandit in an August article for The Times of India. He noted that India was keen to acquire Russia’s Sprut SDM1 because it has the same 125-mm gun and ammunition as its T-90 and T-72. In 2021, in a stopgap measure, India considered acquiring 18-ton Sprut SDM1 light tanks to counter China’s light armor, notes Snehesh Alex Philip in The Print. She notes that India’s armored battalions struggled to transport their heavy tanks to mountain passes 5,300 meters high while China’s 33-ton ZTQ-15 light tanks easily negotiated the rugged terrain. India’s Russian-designed T-72 (shown above) and T-90 tanks did not perform well in Himalayan combat with China. ![]()
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