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Key Points: India’s Zorawar Light Tank successfully completed high-altitude trials in Ladakh, operating above 4,200 meters near the Line of Actual Control (LAC) with China.

-Designed under India’s “Make in India” initiative, the 25-ton Zorawar is equipped with a 105mm main gun, artificial intelligence systems, active protection systems, and tactical drones for enhanced situational awareness.

-Amphibious and air-transportable, it was built for mountain warfare and rapid deployment in remote terrains.

-Named after 19th-century Dogra General Zorawar Singh, the tank is part of India’s efforts to counter Chinese forces and modernize its military, with plans to induct 350 units by 2027.

India is Now Testing its Zorawar Light Tank in the Mountains:

Beijing and New Delhi have pulled their respective forces back from the Line of Actual Control (LAC), the de facto border between India and China, separating Indian-controlled territory from Chinese-controlled territory. Yet, both routinely mass troops and equipment along the 2,100-mile-long line that runs through the Himalayas.

More importantly, both China and India have sought to develop light tanks that are designed to operate in harsh mountain conditions.

This month, the Indian state-owned Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) announced that it had conducted high-altitude trials of the Indian Light Tank (ILT) – also known as the “Zorawar” – in the northern union territory of Ladakh, the same area that saw the most recent standoff between India and China.

Footage released of the recent tests showed the ILT Zorawar conducting a live-fire exercise at elevations greater than 4,200 meters. This follows a previous test in the desert terrain of the northwestern state of Rajasthan in September.

“[The] Indian Light Tank (ILT) has achieved a major milestone by firing a number of rounds at different ranges at an altitude of more than 4,200 m,” the Indian Ministry of Defense said in a press release, per Janes.

The Zorawar in the Crosshairs

The Zorawar is part of New Delhi’s “Make in India” initiative and was designed by the Combat Vehicles Research & Development Establishment (CVRDE) in collaboration with DRDO. It was developed specifically to counter Chinese armored deployments near the LAC, where the Indian Army had been locked in a stand-off with China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) that began in May 2020. It was only in October that the two sides reached an agreement on how each could patrol the border.

New Delhi has plans to build 350 of the Zorawar light tanks – named for the 19th century Dogra General Zorawar Singh – with it set to enter service with the Indian Army by 2027.

At just 25-tonnes, the tank was tailor-made for mountainous terrain.

The Zorawar is armed with a 105mm main gun, while production models will reportedly be artificial intelligence-enabled, and further fitted with an active protection system that includes tactical drones to provide situational awareness and loitering munition capability. Like its Chinese T-15 counterpart, the Zorawar was designed to be air transportable for rapid deployment, and it can operate from high-altitude areas to island territories.

Its amphibious capabilities would allow it to operate in riverine and coastal areas, while it can be carried by transport aircraft – which could ensure it can reach remote areas along the frontier.

“[The aircraft] capability would assist in [the] quick deployment of [the] ILT in operating conditions, which are remote and difficult to access through road or rail,” The Indian MoD added.

In addition to the ILT Zorawar, the Indian Army is now working on future tanks that will replace the Russian-designed and supplied tanks, including the T-72 and T-90s currently in its arsenals.

Author Experience and Expertise: Peter Suciu

Peter Suciu is a Senior Editor focusing on defense issues for 19FortyFive. He has contributed to more than four dozen magazines, newspapers, and websites with over 3,500 published pieces over a twenty-year career in journalism. He regularly writes about military hardware, firearms history, cybersecurity, politics, and international affairs. Peter is also a Contributing Writer for Forbes and Clearance Jobs. You can follow him on X: @PeterSuciu – and on Bluesky: @petersuciu.bsky.social.