India's new light tank, Zorawar, designed for quick movement and high mobility in mountainous areas, has reached an important milestone. It successfully fired several rounds at various ranges at an altitude of over 4,200 meters, with accurate results, according to the defense ministry on Thursday.

Three months after the tank was first tested at the Mahajan firing range near Bikaner, the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) reported that the preliminary field trials of the tank had been successful, with its exceptional performance. DRDO stated in a statement on Thursday that the tank was built as a 25-ton class armoured fighting vehicle to satisfy the military's needs for high-altitude uses. “The design to realisation to demonstration (of capabilities) at high altitude has been achieved in three years,” it said. The Ladakh area was the site of the most recent shooting testing.

Under Project Zorawar, DRDO and Larsen & Toubro collaborated to create the tank in order to fulfil the Indian Army's need for 354 light tanks. In two years, it was created from the ground up. On July 6, at L&T's Hazira site in Gujarat, DRDO chief Samir V Kamat examined the tank's initial prototype. The airlift capability of the tank was also demonstrated by the Indian Air Force, the ministry said. “Such a capability would assist in quick deployment of the tank in operating conditions that are remote and difficult to access through road or rail. With these two phases of internal performance trials, which were actively supported by the Indian Army and the IAF, the tank would be undergoing some more trials before being offered for user trials,” the statement added.

The tank should be ready for use by 2027, enhancing the army’s defence along the disputed Line of Actual Control (LAC) with China. The Chinese People's Liberation Army has deployed a number of contemporary tanks throughout LAC, notably light tanks with a high power-to-weight ratio. The Indian Army has sent a large number of heavy Russian-made T-72 and T-90 tanks to the Ladakh region. However, these tanks have limitations because they were originally designed for use in flat and desert areas. The need for lighter tanks with enough firepower, protection, surveillance and communication features became clear after the border dispute with China.

The new capability will cost approximately ₹17,500 crore. The light tank can be airlifted, can operate in water, shoot at high angles, and also serve as a limited artillery. It bears the name of Zorawar Singh, the renowned general who led the Dogra armies to victory in Tibet and Ladakh a record six times between 1834 and 1841. He led a Dogra army of 5,000 men into Tibet in May 1841, and in a matter of weeks, they defeated the Chinese and took the Mantalai flag.