Army eyes light tanks & armed swarm drones for mountain warfare on China front | India News

NEW DELHI: The 12-lakh strong Army is now going in for light tanks and armed swarm drones to enhance ‘shock and awe’ capabilities in high-altitude warfare along the northern borders with China.
With the “increased threat” from China “likely to remain for the foreseeable future”, sources on Friday said the Army has launched Project Zorawar to induct around 350 indigenously-developed light tanks that can be swiftly deployed by air and are more manoeuvrable and operationally flexible in mountains.
After procuring swarm drones from two Indian start-up companies, the force has also initiated a `Make in India’ case for autonomous surveillance and armed drone swarm (ASAD-S), with adequate ranges to destroy enemy targets in `depth and high-altitude areas’.

Project Zorawar has emerged out of lessons learnt from the continuing 27-month-old military confrontation with China in eastern Ladakhwhich saw both armies forward deploy heavy weapon systems like tanks, howitzers and surface-to-air missile systems.
The Army has finalized the technical parameters for the Zorawar tank or armoured fighting vehicle-Indian light lank (AFV-ILT), which should weigh less than 25 tonnes with a high power-to-weight ratio and substantial firepower.
The agile tank should also incorporate niche technologies like AI, drone integration, active protection system and high degree of situational awareness. The case will be moved to the defence ministry for the initial acceptance of necessity (AoN) in September.
The Army had managed to deploy its heavier Russian-origin T-90S and T-72 main-battle tanks (40 to 50 tonne each) in eastern Ladakh, with some of them even being taken up the Rezang La-Rechin La heights in the Kailash Range to tactically surprise the People’s Liberation Army in August 2020.
The PLA, in turn, inducted a large number of technologically advanced mix of medium and light tanks, including the new third-generation Type-15 ones. “Our T-90S and T-72 tanks were primarily designed for operations in plains and deserts. They have their limitations in high-altitude areas, and face a similar handicap in marginal terrain of Rann of Kutch,” a source said.

“The Russia-Ukraine war has also impacted both the manufacturing and sustenance of our tank fleet. Therefore, the operational necessity for designing and developing indigenous light tanks,” he added.
The force-multiplier effect of swarm drones, in turn, has been driven home by recent conflicts, ranging from Armenia, Azerbaijan, Syria and Ukraine to the strike on oilfields in Saudi Arabia. “Even in our context, there has been a noticeable increase in drone incidents along the borders with China and Pakistan,” the source said.
“A group of AI-enabled drones operating in conjunction with ground manoeuvre forces will provide an aerial capability during both offensive and defensive operations. This will enhance the overall combat potential, providing a decisive edge to tactical commanders,” he added.
The use of drone swarms, which can overwhelm an adversary’s air defence capabilities as well as carry out Kamikaze attacks on enemy targets like tanks, helipads and fuel dumps, is still a new war-fighting concept for the Indian armed forces.
But they are increasingly focussing on `disruptive’ technologies ranging from drone swarms, robotics, lasers and loiter munitions to artificial intelligence, cloud computing, big data analysis and algorithmic warfare. China, of course, is far ahead of India in these domains.