In the plateau combat environment, tank is the most important weapon and equipment besides artillery , which can provide the most firepower support for border troops . However, due to the special circumstances in high altitude areas, the vehicle's power is easily attenuated. For this reason, only light tank can be able to come and go freely at high altitudes. Chinese Army has a tank with a model of ZTQ-15, which is particularly suitable for operating in plateau areas. This makes Indian Army very jealous and is eager to seek corresponding measures. For this reason, the Indian Army launched a plan called Zorawar, with the goal of developing an advanced domestic light tank to achieve better mobility and faster and flexible deployment in high altitude areas.
The reason why India has begun to increase efforts to develop equipment suitable for plateau combat in recent years, rather than relying entirely on the procurement of foreign military equipment, is related to some actions of Indian troops in border areas in recent years. India originally wanted to try to show its strength to Pakistan and China through military operations, but it did not expect to expose its own shortcomings. The most serious disadvantage is that India lacks suitable light tanks. Seeing that the other side's tanks are coming from the plateau and are highly maneuverable, India realizes that if India does not develop such equipment, it will inevitably suffer if something happens.
In fact, the Indian Army is not without advanced tanks. The T-72 and T-90 used by the Indian Army can also be used on the plateau to perform missions, but the weight of both tanks reaches 46 tons. The weight of the Arjun Mk1A tank developed by India is even more outrageous, reaching 68.5 tons. At high altitude areas, the speed of these equipment will decrease, and after firing, there is no way to quickly transfer the position. In modern tank combat, if it cannot be transferred immediately after the battle, it means it will be destroyed soon. Therefore, these tanks are not actually suitable for use in plateau areas.
However, there have been reports that China has deployed the latest equipment along the actual control line in the eastern part of Ladakh , including the ZTL-11 wheeled armored personnel carrier, CSK series assault vehicle and ZTQ-15 tank. These three weapons are very suitable for high-altitude areas, and can deal with them calmly even in the face of high cold and low oxygen. The Indian army's T-72 can only cross slowly with black smoke, which not only consumes fuel, but also has a very high failure rate and often breaks down halfway. China's ZTQ-15 tanks can always pass easily as if they are on flat ground.
In this regard, Major General Harsha Kakar, the Indian army, said in an interview with the Eurasian Times that India must now develop light tanks. Strategically, this weapon is the best choice for strengthening defense and offense, and can send strong signals to any potential opponents. In fact, as early as 2021, the Indian Army released a message, planning to purchase 350 light tanks weighing less than 25 tons and deploy them all to high altitude areas. However, the matter ended in the end. India neither purchased foreign equipment, nor domestic military enterprises could produce similar products. By March 2022, the Indian government officially approved the relevant design and development projects of domestic light tanks used in mountain combat.
According to the requirements of the Indian Army, this tank must be equipped with cruise missile , artificial intelligence equipment, integrated tactical monitoring military drone , and a high-level situational awareness system, as well as advanced active protective armor and interception protection systems. The project name is "Zorawar", the tank cannot weigh more than 25 tons and must maintain a certain speed at high altitudes. However, judging from the current situation, this secret plan by India seems to be difficult to achieve. India's defense industry foundation is weak, and it is actually difficult to build such weapons, which will take at least several years. After India has successfully developed it, more advanced models will definitely be found among the similar weapons of neighboring countries.
