The Evolution of Tank Warfare:Â The concept of the tank emerged during World War I as a response to the stalemate of trench warfare. The name tank was to conceal its identity before being unleashed. The initial designs focused on crossing difficult terrain and providing mobile firepower. Throughout World War II, tanks became more advanced, with improvements in armour protection, armament upgrades, and mobility enhancement, leading to their central role in blitzkrieg tactics.
The end of the Cold War saw a shift in tank warfare, with an emphasis on rapid deployment and multi-role capabilities. Conflicts in the Middle East highlighted the need for tanks to operate in urban environments and against asymmetrical threats. Nagorno-Karabakh 2020 and Russia-Ukraine 2022 conflicts brought forth drone threats and balanced integrated survivability dimension. Increasingly the deep battles and blitzkrieg concept have given space to adaptive manoeuvre. A term which defines a combined arms team manoeuvre to dislocate an adversary given the threat and operational terrain.
Tanks will continue to evolve and adapt in technology and tactics to overcome challenges of emerging threats and contested cum constrained terrain. The Indian operational environment needs the medium category tank as the primary equipment with light tanks critical for marginal terrain where the medium tank employment gets constrained. Heavy tanks do not meet the present and future battlespace requirements
Lessons from Recent Conflicts
- Nagorno-Karabakh Conflict (2020): The conflict brought to the fore that new generation anti-tank platforms like drones are a potent threat, yet surmountable. The need is to adapt to the terrain, innovative tactics, transformed training and advanced technologies to overcome such threats. The success of Azerbaijani forces highlighted the importance of combined arms operations.
- Ukraine conflict (2022 – present): It brought out that combined arms team employment in a joint operational environment is a critical enabler to prevail in future battle space. The line-up of tanks in a ceremonial manner was an eyesore. Further responsive and tailor-made logistics with the adequacy of war endurance is the lifeline. It also highlighted mechanised forces are increasingly targets for electronic jamming and cyber-attacks, necessitating improved defence mechanisms in an interconnected network environment.
- Hamas-Israel war (2023 – present): Tanks face significant challenges in urban combat, where manoeuvrability is restricted, and the risk of ambushes by hand-held anti-tank weapons is high. Further, with high real-time visibility, there is increasing sensitivity to collateral damage. Yet as agile protected lethal platforms their employment remains critical.
Tank and anti-tank will continue to challenge each other. Balanced and integrated survivability gaining dominance. The criteria of tank design must change from firepower, protection, and mobility to lethality, survivability, agility, connectivity, sustainability and multirole adaptability. Affordability will continue to be a factor for all major platforms, so modularity and commonality of base platforms will remain prominent for logistics and cost
Lessons for Indian Armour
- Conventional Wars: Conventional wars are here to stay and ‘war is not an option’ is a self-inflicted injury. The political chorus of playing down threats and future wars is in the sphere of euphoria and the military who has to perform in reality must never fall for it.
- Boots and Tracks Matter: Boots and tracks on the ground matter as long as wars are fought on the ground more for disputed and turbulent territory. If you want to clear land, if you want to hold land, if you want to capture land, you need boots and tracks. Distance punishment as an enabler must thus be synergised with the adaptive ground manoeuvre.
- Obituary of the Tank: The obituary of the tank is not signed nor will be in the future. They will continue to evolve and adapt both in technology and tactics to overcome challenges of emerging threats and contested cum constrained terrain. Thus the Tank will be as good as the Tankman who must exploit technology, adopt innovative tactics and be trained (PME) for future challenges.
- Category of Tanks: The Indian operational environment needs the medium category tank as the primary equipment with light tanks critical for marginal terrain where the medium tank employment gets constrained. Heavy tanks do not meet the present and future battlespace requirements.
- Tank and Anti-Tank Dominance: Tank and anti-tank will continue to challenge each other. Balanced and integrated survivability gaining dominance. The criteria of tank design must change from firepower, protection, and mobility to lethality, survivability, agility, connectivity, sustainability and multirole adaptability. Affordability will continue to be a factor for all major platforms, so modularity and commonality of base platforms will remain prominent both for logistics and cost.
- ‘Heavy is Mightier’ is a Myth: Light agile lethal survivable platforms are key. Strategic, operational and tactical mobility will mandate lighter platforms empowered by technology like composite materials and active protection systems to ensure both superior performance and higher survivability.
- Combined Arms Warfare: The combined arms team concept is a decisive enabler and there is a need to move from integration to interdependence in a joint operational environment. The Integration Battle Group concept must be looked at as a war-fighting philosophy beyond just the grouping. Further, an inclusive approach to IBG and combined arms warfare must be developed with the inclusion of self-propelled artillery, self-propelled air defence systems, combat aviation and matching combat support cum logistics.
- Urban Warfare and Collateral Damage: Technological enablement and innovative tactics are essential for overcoming challenges in urban warfare.
- Force Sustenance and Operational Logistics: Operational logistics and force sustainment are critical for effective tank deployment and success in operations. There is a need for a proactive forecasting and integrated approach to MRO. Similarly, war endurance and stamina must be a factor in future operational planning.
Future Role and Structures
The future role definition of deployment of tanks will remain some of the old and some of the new. Their offensive, innovative and bold employment remains the basis for the shock effect and dislocation (physical, moral, temporal, technological and spatial) of enemy forces. They would not only be the spearheads of combined arms teams across all spectrums of warfare but also key instruments to dominate the time, space and force dimensions in war. Deterrence in peace and force of decision in war will continue to be their hallmark.
Yet with threats multiplying, emerging technologies, and challenges of constrained cum contested terrain, there is a need for role redefinition. The aspiration of the Army thus for the future role of tanks envisages:
- To become a more responsive, deployable, agile, versatile, lethal, survivable, and sustainable force, effective across all spectrums of conflict. Thus adapt and prevail in future battle space.
- To provide ready, agile and adaptive land power capability to the commanders as part of the spearhead of combined arms forces or IBGs. Increase the tempo and velocity of combined arms force.
- To provide dominant land power manoeuvre capability with offensive orientation and focus on dislocation. The era of deep battles, projection areas and intense tank versus tank manoeuvres may be a relic of the past. Their employment as mobile protected firepower will be increasingly seen in a constricted and contested battle space.
- To ensure strategic, operational and tactical mobility for quick response deployment and immediate application in a multidomain operational environment.
- To ensure combat overmatch and be an integrated platform for a killer-killer concept not just as a hunter-killer, with advanced technologies and multirole adaptability.
- Adapt, prevail and survive in a high-threat constricted environment like urban warfare with minimal collateral damage.
- Be organic multirole platforms with drones, electronic warfare pods and cyber defence integrated and empowered by advanced technologies like artificial intelligence. Future employment and doctrines may employ manned unmanned teams with the development of unmanned ground vehicles and robotics.
The future role definition of deployment of tanks will remain some of the old and some of the new. Their offensive, innovative and bold employment remains the basis for the shock effect and dislocation of enemy forces. They would not only be the spearheads of combined arms teams across all spectrums of warfare but also key instruments to dominate the time, space and force dimensions in war. Deterrence in peace and force of decision in war will continue to be their hallmark
Besides the redefined role, mechanised forces must focus on restructuring and transformation to be more effective with the changing operational environment, technology and threat matrix. The present structures have not undergone any changes beyond cosmetic ones, being subservient to legacy war establishment structures. Technology changes and threats must make them more responsive to structural and organisation reviews to adapt and prevail in future battlespace. Integrated lean structures from the apex level at Army HQ to the tactical unit level at field formation is the need of the hour. There cannot be a mismatch between structures, redefined roles and operational environment.
Conclusion
Tank warfare in the 21st century is at a crossroads, with emerging technologies and evolving threats shaping its future trajectory. While traditional roles and principles remain relevant, the integration of AI, unmanned systems, and advanced materials promises to transform the capabilities of tanks. Lessons from recent conflicts underscore the importance of adaptability in modern warfare. As military strategies adapt to hybrid and multi-domain warfare, tanks will continue to play a vital role, provided they evolve to meet the challenges of the future battlefield. The key to their continued relevance will lie in balancing technological innovation, structural changes, and role definition with strategic and operational flexibility.
-The author is a PVSM, AVSM, VSM has had an illustrious career spanning nearly four decades. A distinguished Armoured Corps officer, he has served in various prestigious staff and command appointments including Commander Independent Armoured Brigade, ADG PP, GOC Armoured Division and GOC Strike 1. The officer retired as DG Mechanised Forces in December 2017 during which he was the architect to initiate process for reintroduction of Light Tank and Chairman on the study on C5ISR for Indian Army. Subsequently he was Consultant MoD/OFB from 2018 to 2020. The Officer is a reputed defence analyst, a motivational speaker and prolific writer on matters of military, defence technology and national security.The views expressed are personal and do not necessarily carry the views of Raksha Anirveda
The author, a PVSM, AVSM, VSM has had an illustrious career spanning nearly four decades. A distinguished Armoured Corps officer, he has served in various prestigious staff and command appointments including Commander Independent Armoured Brigade, ADG PP, GOC Armoured Division and GOC Strike 1. The officer retired as DG Mechanised Forces in December 2017 during which he was the architect to initiate process for reintroduction of Light Tank and Chairman on the study on C5ISR for Indian Army. Subsequently he was Consultant MoD/OFB from 2018 to 2020. He is also a reputed defence analyst, a motivational speaker and prolific writer on matters of military, defence technology and national security. The views expressed are personal and do not necessarily carry the views of Raksha Anirveda
