AVNL Offers Customized Russian Sprut with T-90 Firepower for Indian Army's High-Altitude Light Tank Procurement, Challenging DRDO-L&T's Zorawar

State-owned Armoured Vehicles Nigam Limited (AVNL) has partnered with Russian defence firms Rosoboronexport (ROE) and High Precision Systems (HPC) to propose a specially modified version of the 2S25 Sprut-SD light tank for the Indian Army.

This collaboration, announced in August 2024, aims to compete in India's procurement process for 295 new light tanks specifically designed for high-altitude warfare.

The Indian Army's quest for light tanks is proceeding under the "Make-I" category, emphasizing indigenous development and manufacturing.

AVNL's Heavy Vehicles Factory (HVF) in Avadi, Chennai, will lead the effort to tailor the Russian design to meet India's unique operational requirements in mountainous border regions, particularly along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) with China.

This puts the AVNL-Russia offering in direct competition with the domestically developed Zorawar light tank, a joint project by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and Larsen & Toubro (L&T).

Originally designed for Russia's airborne forces by the Volgograd Tractor Plant, the 2S25 Sprut-SD is technically a self-propelled anti-tank gun. It boasts a powerful 125mm smoothbore gun, similar in calibre to the main armament of India's T-90 main battle tanks, but mounted on a much lighter 18-tonne chassis.

The base model features amphibious capabilities, can be dropped by parachute, and is even capable of firing its main gun while floating. However, the Indian Army requires enhancements for sustained high-altitude operations, better armour protection, and modern electronic systems, necessitating significant modifications to the original Russian design.

The joint venture aims to blend Russia's established light tank technology, especially its gun system and amphibious features, with Indian-made components to increase the indigenous content, aligning with the government's #AatmanirbharBharat (self-reliant India) policy. AVNL and another Indian public sector unit, India Optel Limited (IOL), will hold a majority stake, ensuring Indian control over the project.

While the potent 125mm gun – capable of firing various ammunition types including anti-tank guided missiles (ATGM) like the 9M119 Svir – is expected to be retained, upgrades are anticipated in areas like the fire control system, electronics, and armour to defend against contemporary threats such as drones and advanced anti-tank weaponry.

The Ministry of Defence (MoD) has formally invited bids through a Request for Proposal (RFP) for these light tanks. HVF/AVNL is among the entities eligible to compete, provided they meet the technical and financial requirements.

To support its bid, HVF is already seeking suppliers for critical subsystems needed for the customized Sprut, including engine management units, auxiliary power units (APUs), integrated loitering munitions or drones, and advanced suspension systems crucial for performance and mobility in the thin air and rugged terrain of high-altitude environments.

The planned inclusion of drones and loitering munitions indicates an effort to match the advanced capabilities being integrated into modern armoured vehicles. The competing Zorawar light tank, for example, is designed with integrated surveillance drones and potentially an Active Protection System (APS) to counter incoming projectiles.

The base Sprut-SD's armour, reportedly sufficient only against heavy machine gun fire (12.7mm rounds), is a point of concern regarding battlefield survivability, suggesting significant upgrades will be necessary. Modifications to the suspension are also vital, as the original BMD-3 chassis-based design has faced criticism regarding stability when firing its large 125mm gun, particularly on uneven ground.

The urgency for these light tanks stems from operational gaps highlighted during the 2020 border standoff with China in the Galwan Valley region, where the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) deployed its own Type 15 light tanks suited for mountain warfare.

Initially, India considered an emergency off-the-shelf purchase, potentially including the latest Sprut-SDM1 variant, but later opted for indigenous development under the Make-I rules.

The DRDO-L&T Zorawar, officially revealed in July 2024, has already passed initial milestones, securing a preliminary order for 59 units. Trials for the Zorawar are currently underway in both desert and high-altitude conditions.

The competition for the remaining 295 tanks remains open.

The Zorawar weighs around 25 tonnes and is equipped with a 105mm main gun (sourced from John Cockerill). It emphasizes modular design, artificial intelligence integration, and a high degree of indigenous content, powered by a 760 hp Cummins engine delivering a power-to-weight ratio of about 30 hp/tonne.

In contrast, the lighter 18-tonne Sprut-SD, with its 510 hp engine, offers around 27 hp/tonne but benefits from its amphibious nature and potentially easier rapid deployment. However, critics point to the Sprut's comparatively lighter armour and potentially older base design as disadvantages against the purpose-built Zorawar, which incorporates modern survivability features like APS from the start.

Other Indian companies like Kalyani Group, Tata Advanced Systems, and Mahindra Defence Systems, potentially partnered with foreign manufacturers, may also contend for this significant defence contract.

 

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[Sridhar]

Abso-damned-lutely not! Russia can keep their junk Spruts, thank you very much. Why on Earth would AVNL even think about something like the Sprut, which has nothing beyond basic splinter protection in terms of actually protecting the tank and its crew? Heck, if all that wasn't enough, even Russia isn't particularly interested in the tank, with production seemingly stopped at 24 units with some proposals for mass production.

We have the Zorawar, which is a very promising and very decent light tank. Throw the Sprut out of the competition.

ZORWAR is a better option rather than SPRUT.

 

[Surfer]

ZORWAR can be airlifted by the current medium transport planes with IAF.
ZORWAR is accepted by the army after thorough study of its specifications.

They are still doing trial and error removing heavy parts to reduce weight, if you could enlighten me with which helicopter in Indian Army can carry 27,000 pounds it would be useful, they have already reduced the caliber of turret all the way from 150 to 105mm to reduce weight, they might even throw away the turret and replace it with Ak-47 to bring the weight down and call it ultralight tank, another thing is it’s amphibiousness has never been tested or proved, we don’t want another HAL, competition is always good.

 

[Anant]

ZORWAR is a better option rather than SPRUT.

Oh, absolutely. The Zorawar is better any day of the week.

 

[Anant]

Zorawar only!!!

Also, why go for heavy tanks at all? Instead of de-armour the light, converting it into a "tank destroyer" (with weapons added equal in weight to the armour deleted).

The Sprut us literally what you suggested. It is a light tank without any armour beyond basic splinter protection that has been fitted with a MBT gun.

Heck, you could have something like a BMP-2 with a 30mm gun penetrating the Sprut's sad excuse for armour at a pretty decent range. The Sprut's splinter protection is sufficient against a 23mm gun at ranges exceeding 500 metres, with it being pretty much proof against 12.7 mm and smaller guns (machine guns, essentially). For a 30mm gun, the proof range would be closer to a full kilometre, at which point the Sprut had better be incredibly accurate with its first shell or two, or it would be damaged (at the very least) by a BMP-2.

 

[Surfer]

Metal Coffin

You can only have so much armor in a light tank, that’s the whole point.

 

[Sridhar]

They are still doing trial and error removing heavy parts to reduce weight, if you could enlighten me with which helicopter in Indian Army can carry 27,000 pounds it would be useful, they have already reduced the caliber of turret all the way from 150 to 105mm to reduce weight, they might even throw away the turret and replace it with Ak-47 to bring the weight down and call it ultralight tank, another thing is it’s amphibiousness has never been tested or proved, we don’t want another HAL, competition is always good.

I clearly mentioned transport aircrafts. The weight of tanks also depends on the armoured plate it carries , not the main guns alone. Indian army wants a light weight tank which can move fast on the mountains. ZORAWAR is not meant for fighting tank battles.

 

[Surfer]

I clearly mentioned transport aircrafts. The weight of tanks also depends on the armoured plate it carries , not the main guns alone. Indian army wants a light weight tank which can move fast on the mountains. ZORAWAR is not meant for fighting tank battles.

No operational transport helicopter with IA can carry 27,000 pounds, MI-26 can, but we have very few in single numbers and they are non operational for a very long time, if we buy 25-26 Sikorsky CH-53K King Stallion then they can lift up to 36,000 pounds.

 

[Anant]

Oh really, why Leopard and Challenger are burning.

Literally no one said the Leopard or the Challenger are indestructible. However, you'd have to be incredibly picky with your information if you suggest a T-72 or T-90 is more survivable than a Leopard or Challenger or Abrams.

Do you know how many tanks Russia has lost (destroyed / captured / abandoned) in Ukraine? Based on photographic evidence alone, they have lost 13 T-54/55s, 248 T-62s, 87 T-64s, 1599 T-72s, 1106 T-80s, 168 T-90s, and a further 468 other tanks. This does not include damaged tanks. Therefore, this is a total of 3,689 tanks confirmed to have been lost by the Russians. The real number is going to be higher, since you'd have losses without released photographic evidence. How many has Ukraine lost? Well, they have lost a total of 1 T-54/55, 525 T-64s, 300 T-72s, 72 T-80s, 16 Leopard 1s, 29 Leopard 2s, 6 Stridsvagn 122s, 2 Challenger 2s, 20 Abrams, and a further 74 unknown Soviet-origin tanks.

Therefore, both sides have a lost a combined 4,661 tanks of Soviet / Russian-origin and 73 tanks of Western origin. Specifically, the T-72s have proven to be an utter deathtrap, with almost 1,900 T-72s lost. India's entire T-72 fleet is around 2,415 tanks.

Western tanks are far, far more survivable. They don't suffer the condition of having their turrets blown off with the entire crew lost, and this is something that the T-72 and T-90 are infamous for.

Oh, and since you are that fond of such useless statements, the tank stocks of Russia and Ukraine have taken a massive thrashing, with both sides left with increasingly older Soviet-era tanks that are being gradually modernised. On the other hand, there are still an estimated 983 Leopard 1s, 2594 Leopard 2s, 231 Challenger 2s, and almost 5,100 Abrams tanks just within NATO stocks alone. Assuming even 2.5% of these (a total of 223 tanks) were to end up in Ukraine, Russia would lose far more than 223 tanks knocking these out.

 

[Anant]

You can only have so much armor in a light tank, that’s the whole point.

Um, the Sprut has splinter protection only. There is a difference between having a little armour and having only splinter protection. Evidently, the Russians think both are the same. The Bradley, K21, Zorawar, and Type 15 have a little armour. The Sprut has basically nothing beyond very basic splinter protection.

Heck, a BMP-2 can penetrate a Sprut at a pretty wide range spectrum unless the Sprut is incredibly accurate.

 

[kumar]

Difference is 9 tons, that’s why, 27 tons vs 18 tons. Zorowar is mid weight tank, it is hard to air lift that much weight, that's the reason they are trying different options, the more lighter it is better, trying another option doesn’t mean it is selected, competition will make the local product efficient and cheaper and avoids monopoly like HAL.

All the important problems with sprut is mentioned in para 6, which makes redesign necessary. That's the reason IA did not order it in the first place. Anyways, the numbers are too less to make it in economies of scale.

 

[kumar]

Abso-damned-lutely not! Russia can keep their junk Spruts, thank you very much. Why on Earth would AVNL even think about something like the Sprut, which has nothing beyond basic splinter protection in terms of actually protecting the tank and its crew? Heck, if all that wasn't enough, even Russia isn't particularly interested in the tank, with production seemingly stopped at 24 units with some proposals for mass production.

We have the Zorawar, which is a very promising and very decent light tank. Throw the Sprut out of the competition.

Exactly. Protection level of sprut is a joke. Any change in protection levels, will require significant redesign.

 

[Surfer]

All the important problems with sprut is mentioned in para 6, which makes redesign necessary. That's the reason IA did not order it in the first place. Anyways, the numbers are too less to make it in economies of scale.

May be just to create competition GOI is trying this I guess.

 

[abhinav srivastava]

Difference is 9 tons, that’s why, 27 tons vs 18 tons. Zorowar is mid weight tank, it is hard to air lift that much weight, that's the reason they are trying different options, the more lighter it is better, trying another option doesn’t mean it is selected, competition will make the local product efficient and cheaper and avoids monopoly like HAL.

Who provided specs for Zorawar? Any how, what restricts us to develop a 20 ton light tank?

 

[Rinku Pandey]

Weight Of Zorawar is the problem.

 

[Surfer]

Weight Of Zorawar is the problem.

With the weight no helicopter that IA owns can carry them, this is the main bottleneck.

 

[Surfer]

Who provided specs for Zorawar? Any how, what restricts us to develop a 20 ton light tank?

We are not good in metallurgy, this is the reason for the overweight of everything we make.

 

[Somebody]

It would be better if make these tanks unmanned, for it's level of protection these tanks are going to be blown away by FPV drones.

 

[KVS]

This is an undesirable development. What has been left to Private sector shouldn't be available for the public sector units. We need a healthy competition, say about 3 units competing for the orders. At the same time, too many shouldn't be after something whereby nobody is interested in developing the next version!

 

[Mc Addy]

We can have a mixture of both, this Russian air drop capable tank and our local type also.

 

[sanjay1960]

Abso-damned-lutely not! Russia can keep their junk Spruts, thank you very much. Why on Earth would AVNL even think about something like the Sprut, which has nothing beyond basic splinter protection in terms of actually protecting the tank and its crew? Heck, if all that wasn't enough, even Russia isn't particularly interested in the tank, with production seemingly stopped at 24 units with some proposals for mass production.

We have the Zorawar, which is a very promising and very decent light tank. Throw the Sprut out of the competition.

Why one needs amphibious tech in high terraign???

 

[sanjay1960]

Lets be atmanirbhar. Why subotage all programmes??

 

[Mc Addy]

Why one needs amphibious tech in high terraign???

There is huge Pagong lake there where the Chinese camp fearing no tank that is able to cross that lake and it's feeding deep then 20 meters tributaries so get real ,not all LAC is dry desert .

 

[Hari Sud]

This Russian offer is to derail the Indian Zorawar tank project. They are talking about T-90 firepower in a light tank except they don’t tell that it’s weight is above 30 tons, which cannot be airlifted.