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In a major enhancement to its armoured warfare capabilities, the Indian Army is set to equip its new, indigenously developed Zorawar light tank with Israel's globally acclaimed Trophy Active Protection System (APS).
This advanced defensive shield will be installed on the initial batch of 59 tanks, which are scheduled to begin army trials in 2025.
The move signals India's strategy to rapidly deploy combat-ready technology to address immediate security challenges, even as its own domestic version of the system continues development.
The Zorawar is a 25-tonne light tank specifically designed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and manufactured by Larsen & Toubro (L&T) for high-altitude operations.
Its development was fast-tracked to counter the deployment of China's Type 15 light tanks along India's northern borders, particularly in the mountainous terrain of Ladakh.
The Indian Army has a long-term plan to acquire up to 350 Zorawar tanks, making this initial fleet a critical first step in strengthening its mountain warfare readiness.
The Trophy APS, developed by Israel’s Rafael Advanced Defence Systems, is a "hard-kill" system that provides a protective bubble around the vehicle.
Using advanced radar, it automatically detects, tracks, and destroys incoming threats like anti-tank guided missiles (ATGMs), rocket-propelled grenades (RPGs), and armed drones before they can strike.
Trophy is one of the few APS systems to be extensively proven in combat, having been used by the Israeli Defence Forces on their Merkava tanks and by the U.S. Army on its M1 Abrams main battle tanks with a very high success rate.
This integration of a cutting-edge protection system is a direct response to lessons from recent global conflicts, such as the war in Ukraine, where modern anti-tank weapons and drones have proven devastatingly effective against armoured vehicles.
Traditional armour is often vulnerable to top-attack munitions and loitering drones. By equipping the agile Zorawar with the Trophy system, the Indian Army aims to ensure the tank's survivability matches its high-altitude mobility.
The agreement to use the Trophy system is part of a larger collaboration between Rafael and L&T, formalised in a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed at Aero India 2025. This partnership aims to manufacture and customise the APS for Indian military vehicles locally under the "Make in India" initiative.
Beyond the Zorawar, this collaboration may extend to upgrading India’s large fleet of over 1,200 Russian-origin T-90S "Bhishma" main battle tanks, which currently rely on older generations of passive and reactive armour.
While India’s DRDO is actively working on its own indigenous APS, the system is still in the development phase, with testing not expected until late 2025 or early 2026.
The decision to procure the combat-proven Trophy system for the first batch of Zorawar tanks is a pragmatic one, balancing the urgent need for enhanced battlefield protection with the long-term national goal of self-reliance in defence technology.
This approach ensures that the first units of the Zorawar will enter service with world-class survivability, while domestic systems are perfected for future integration.
