Zorawar to Face Competition as AVNL Eyes Russian Collaboration for Light Tank Development

India's indigenous defence industry is gearing up for a new entrant as Armoured Vehicles Nigam Ltd (AVNL), a public sector firm, plans to collaborate with Russian entities Rosoboronexport (ROE) and High Precision Systems (HPC) to develop and manufacture a light tank for the Indian Armed Forces. This move could significantly impact the ongoing competition for fulfilling the Indian Army's need for 295 Light Tanks under the 'Make-I' category.

The proposed joint venture, with majority ownership by AVNL and India Optel Limited (IOL), is likely to leverage Russia's Sprut-SD technology to create a light tank that will directly rival the DRDO-L&T developed Zorawar Light Tank. While Zorawar has already begun trials and secured an initial order for 59 units, the remaining 300 tanks are up for grabs, and the entry of the Sprut-SD based tank could intensify the competition.

This development underscores India's growing focus on domestic defence production and strategic partnerships. The AVNL-led joint venture not only aims to cater to the Indian Army's requirements but also explore potential export opportunities for the indigenously developed Light Tank.

Indo-Russian Collaboration: A Strategic Advantage​

Experts believe that the Indo-Russian collaboration for light tank development is a positive step, given Russia's history of technology transfer and its willingness to share critical defence technologies without imposing restrictions. This contrasts with the approach of some Western partners like the US, who are often reluctant to transfer critical technologies.

India is currently pursuing a dual approach to meet its light tank requirements. One route involves indigenous development through the DRDO and L&T, while the other focuses on collaboration with foreign partners.

The recent unveiling of the indigenous Zorawar light tank, slated for commissioning in 2027, showcases India's progress in domestic manufacturing. However, the potential collaboration with Russia offers an additional avenue to acquire advanced technology and accelerate the development process.

Sprut-SD Technology: A Game-Changer​

Russia's Sprut-SD technology, which features gun stabilization in both elevation and azimuth, significantly enhances the combat capabilities of light tanks, especially in challenging terrains like high altitudes and mountainous regions. This technology is already familiar to the Indian armed forces, as it's used in India's T-72 and T-90 tanks.

The Sprut-SDM1, a light tank based on this technology, boasts impressive mobility features like amphibious capabilities, airlift compatibility, and parachute deployment. These features make it particularly suitable for deployment in mountainous regions like Kashmir and Ladakh.

 

[Akshat]

The Russian Sprut tank will have an edge as it is 18 ton only, amphibious, can fire from inside water, has 125 mm barrels which is the same as T90 tanks and has autoloader.

zorawar tank is completely based on the Korean k 21 light tank. All features are similar.

zorawar does not have 125 mm barrel, not amphibious, no autoloader, 12 tons heavier than Sprut tank.

Nope. Army’s tender states 25 ton with a margin of 10 tons, so Sprut will have no advantage as Zorawar fits right in. The tender also asks for a 105mm or bigger gun. So Zorawar will pass that too.

But the army’s tender asks for an armor of 600 mm on the front, which Zorawar has but Sprut doesn’t. It also asks for ATGM and loitering munitions. Zorawar has both and Sprut has neither.

So Zorawar meets all the requirements while Sprut will need massive reengineering to meet those requirements.

 

[Sandeep]

Exactly. K 9 costs us 60 crs a piece. The orders for 100 k9 was for 6000 crs. Where as T 90 which is completely made in India costs 24 crs. Indian Army purchased 464 tanks for 13884 crs.

Mate the K9 cost more because we manufactured about 70% after transferring the technology to us. Importing something will always be much cheaper as they have already invested in developing their own infrastructure along with researching and developing the tank. We are paying more because we want to learn about the science, technology and engineering that’s involved in developing the K9. This will allow us to manufacture more and increase the amount of indigenous technology and content.

As for the T90 tanks that was just ordered they include more indigenous advanced technology and capabilities than the previous variants. So your not counting any of that in your calculations.

 

[Akshat]

Both LT & ANVL are going to do screw driver assembly using local hardware (60-70% by number of components) to qualify under ATMANIRBHAR. But question is 'kitney me padta hai' - why can't MOD do a 'ATMANIRBHAR or import' analysis to see if we are paying double the price under ATMANIRBHAR?

Such analysis has been done many a times. When made DOSUs, the costs are much higher. But when made by private companies, made in India is cheaper. That’s why Adani is able to export MALE drones as well.

 

[DEVESH]

If zorawar meets 70% of requirements of army, even then it should be chosen over sprut tanks.

 

[Sandeep]

It’s absolutely clear that the Russian Sprut tank doesn’t meet our indigenous requirement. It has no armour protection at all. Russia tried making a sale but it was rejected by our military as well during the Ladakh incursions.

The Zorawar tank has been developed specifically to our own indigenous technology and requirements. It will have 70% or more indigenous content which will increase as we manufacture more tanks. The critical technology we need to develop indigenously is the engine, transmission and the turret main gun, remote medium and small machine gun and ATGM system firing the Nag variant missile.

 

[Akhil]

Zorawar is atleast 2X better than Sprut. Better armour, more power and one of best name for a light battle tank .

Contrary to popular belief, a 105mm gun is more suitable to 125mm in our high altitude ranges where Himalyas rise at a steep angle and a lighter gun with more angle flexibility is better. 105 mm gun is lighter, can change angle faster than 125 assuming similar auxiliary mechanics, can rise to a higher angle and lower angle faster. A smaller, lighter gun also offers more stability due to more suitable centre of gravity at high altitudes.

But tomorrow if our Import Army comes out, which they might, and says they reject zorawar as they need 125mm gun, you know why it was actually rejected.

 

[Pramkumar]

Let go with Zorawar and Arjun MK1A and MK2
We need to produce 2500 Zorawar and 5000 Arjuns

 

[Dredd]

Wow, AVNL has no capability to design anythhing by itself. It should change its name to copy paste nigam limited

all OFB are like this.. i read a report many years ago about OFB that produce bullets that one employee per day produce approx 50 bullets. Can you imagine this ?

 

[Anant]

The main advantage for a 105mm main gun as opposed to more traditional 120mm/125mm ones is the higher elevation afforded to the former smaller gun,which is very crucial in high altitude mountain areas.Second point being that you can adequate rounds of shells for a 105mm in a much smaller tank as opposed to carrying far fewer rounds for the same 120mm/125mm guns.
That is why IA settled on a smaller gun for this light tank as opposed to going with larger guns,even PLA went with the same smaller gun size for their Type-15 light tank even when it weights 35 tons.
You have given very good summary of why Sprut-D is just unnecessary at this point when it is just but a "tin" can carrying a large gun,with no mobility,armour or anti-drone advantage.

Boss, I am very much against having a large gun on a light tank. A 76.2mm or 105mm gun is ideal for a tank of the Zorawar's size. Anything larger entails unnecessary compromises.

The problem is that once you get something like the Sprut, operationally speaking, someone will try to deploy it alongside (or in a manner similar to) MBTs, and it will do very poorly there.

 

[Dredd]

Russian Sprut does not have any armour support, one single hit will kill entire crew inside, or drone can take it out easily

sprut can't even take RPG rounds or mortar shells.

 

[Devasahayam]

Incorrect -- Zorawar was designed as amphibious -- and was designed in India, not a K-21 at all.

IK has spammed that same bakvaas prior (Wikipedia aka wickedpedia debunks it royally already), and didn't like when I suggested lightening Zorawar by making it a tank-destroyer rather than a light-tank (this way instead of weighing it down with armour, it can be weighed down less with more arms -- a "let your sword be your shield" approach)

 

[Instant Karma]

The main advantage for a 105mm main gun as opposed to more traditional 120mm/125mm ones is the higher elevation afforded to the former smaller gun,which is very crucial in high altitude mountain areas.Second point being that you can adequate rounds of shells for a 105mm in a much smaller tank as opposed to carrying far fewer rounds for the same 120mm/125mm guns.
That is why IA settled on a smaller gun for this light tank as opposed to going with larger guns,even PLA went with the same smaller gun size for their Type-15 light tank even when it weights 35 tons.
You have given very good summary of why Sprut-D is just unnecessary at this point when it is just but a "tin" can carrying a large gun,with no mobility,armour or anti-drone advantage.

That is not the case. They settled for 105 mm because only the k 21 chassis has been fitted with a 105 mm and light tanks have 105 mm including kaplan.

 

[Instant Karma]

Nope. Army’s tender states 25 ton with a margin of 10 tons, so Sprut will have no advantage as Zorawar fits right in. The tender also asks for a 105mm or bigger gun. So Zorawar will pass that too.

But the army’s tender asks for an armor of 600 mm on the front, which Zorawar has but Sprut doesn’t. It also asks for ATGM and loitering munitions. Zorawar has both and Sprut has neither.

So Zorawar meets all the requirements while Sprut will need massive reengineering to meet those requirements.

Sprut also fit.

 

[Apocalypse gupta]

all OFB are like this.. i read a report many years ago about OFB that produce bullets that one employee per day produce approx 50 bullets. Can you imagine this ?

Well, it would be unfair to compare OFB companies today to many years ago. They have changed a lot. But some structural issues and culturehave not changed

 

[Akshat]

Sprut also fit.

Nope it doesn’t. No Loitering munitions and no 600 mm armor on the front. Complete failure,

 

[amerjit johal]

I am very confused. I thought Sprut had been eliminated ages ago.
I was under the impression that Zorawar was complying with IA specs, and once it proved itself - orders would follow.

 

[Anant]

That is not the case. They settled for 105 mm because only the k 21 chassis has been fitted with a 105 mm and light tanks have 105 mm including kaplan.

The K21 has a 40mm main gun, and the variant with a 105mm gun is labelled as a medium tank. Oh, and there are light tanks which carry guns larger than 105mm. The old Sheridan LTs had a 152mm gun. Another example is the Sprut with its 125mm gun.

 

[PKPRS]

Wow, AVNL has no capability to design anythhing by itself. It should change its name to copy paste nigam limited

Yes, that’s the idea and there will be a lot of commissions making this probably win than the local product, same old plan.

 

[Instant Karma]

sprut can't even take RPG rounds or mortar shells.

Neither zorawar

 

[Instant Karma]

Nope it doesn’t. No Loitering munitions and no 600 mm armor on the front. Complete failure,

Everything can be done. Don't worry.

 

[PKPRS]

Russian Sprut does not have any armour support, one single hit will kill entire crew inside, or drone can take it out easily

If we add Armor to Zorawar it will become a heavy tank as it already weighs close to 30 tons unless the armor is made of composite, I don’t know if we have that tech locally, also Zorowr is not amphibious either or at least not disclosed yet, Zorowar has to go a long way before acceptance, let’s see how it turns into.

 

[PKPRS]

Everything can be done. Don't worry.

The more you add the more heavy it will become.

 

[PKPRS]

In your essay you forget to about protection which sprut lacks

And so as Zorawar, Army has aske DRDO recently to add more Armor.

 

[PKPRS]

The Zorawar is also an amphibious tank. As for firing from inside water, that sounds like a really good idea, but historically, has proven to be a nightmare to execute properly.

Now, considering the fact that the Sprut has the same (larger and heavier) gun as the T-90, the fact that both it and the Zorawar have similar ranges and speeds, and the fact that the Sprut is considerably lighter, this suggests that the Sprut is lacking significantly when it comes to armour. That would be very bad for us.

DRDO or L&T haven’t uttered one word about Zorawar being Amphibious, driving the tank over 1MM rain puddle during the test in the video doesn’t make it amphibious, if you call that amphibious then kids push and go walker is amphibious, it needs to completely submerge into 10 or more feet water body and come out swimming to consider it as Amphibious, I have seen SPRUT doing that in videos where a transport jet para drops SPRUT into a lake with crew and the tank swims from the lake back to the shore.

 

[Instant Karma]

The more you add the more heavy it will become.

More powerful engine

 

[Anant]

DRDO or L&T haven’t uttered one word about Zorawar being Amphibious, driving the tank over 1MM rain puddle during the test in the video doesn’t make it amphibious, if you call that amphibious then kids push and go walker is amphibious, it needs to completely submerge into 10 or more feet water body and come out swimming to consider it as Amphibious, I have seen SPRUT doing that in videos where a transport jet para drops SPRUT into a lake with crew and the tank swims from the lake back to the shore.

Sir, there are a number of news articles stating that the tank is capable of amphibious operations, and the hull form also looks capable of that. Of course, without official confirmation, we can't say, but these articles are indicative at tye very least.

As for the articles, here is one:

Exclusive: India showcases light battle tank 'Zorawar' for high-altitude warfare

Jointly developed by DRDO and Larsen & Toubro (L&T) Limited, Zorawar is built to meet the Indian Army's requirements in the eastern Ladakh sector against Chinese deployment across the Line of Actual Control (LAC).

www.indiatoday.in

 

[Akshat]

More powerful engine

Yeah, that’s what they said about that junk Arjun 😂😂

 

[eagle]

That is not the case. They settled for 105 mm because only the k 21 chassis has been fitted with a 105 mm and light tanks have 105 mm including kaplan.

K21 also has a120 mmm gun with a 2.5 ton additional weight to the 105 mm gun turret.same turret from JC a varient used in our light tank.

 

[ramdas]

Why is the government wasting taxpayers money by duplicating the equipment?