New Delhi: By year end, the light tank Zorawar is expected to be ready for trials in the high-altitude mountainous border with China. The light tank is being jointly developed by the DRDO and Larsen & Toubro.

“The tank is expected to be ready for trials by the end of this year and would be immediately sent to the Ladakh sector for our own trials. Once we are ready, we will hand it over to the Army for user trials,” senior DRDO officials told a leading media agency.

According to the officials, the present order is for 59 of these tanks but the order can go up to 600 tanks. There is also a need being felt for using these tanks for operations in the Rann of Kutch area and the desert terrain where they can travel at high speeds.

In 2020, during the ongoing standoff with China in 2020 – the need for the light tank was felt as the People’s Liberation Army showed up with their light tanks along the Line of Actual Control. The light tanks can travel and manoeuvre faster than the conventional tanks. The tank has been named after the legendary General Zorawar Singh who led multiple successful victories in Tibet.

After the standoff started, the Indian Army had to induct a considerable number of T-72 and T-90 tanks in operational areas, gaining tactical surprise over the adversary and thereby forcing the adversary on a back foot.