Why tanks still matter in modern warfare
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- India's Zorawar light tank, a 25-tonne air-transportable vehicle jointly developed by DRDO and L&T Defence, is slated for induction between 2028 and 2029, with the Army planning to acquire 354 units at an estimated cost of ₹17,500 crore.
- Project Ranjeit (FRCV) aims to replace India's ageing T-72 fleet with 1,700-1,800 next-generation main battle tanks weighing ~55 tonnes, carrying guns larger than 120mm and integrated anti-drone systems, at an estimated ₹57,000-60,000 crore.
- India's existing fleet comprises ~2,400-2,500 T-72 Ajeya tanks (many over four decades old), 1,200+ T-90S Bhishma, 124 Arjun Mk1, and 118 Arjun Mk1A on order — but no light tank until the Zorawar.
- The 2020 Ladakh standoff with China accelerated the Zorawar program under emergency procurement, directly responding to the PLA's deployment of Type-15 light tanks along the Line of Actual Control.
- Russia-Ukraine war footage has shown tanks being destroyed by inexpensive drones, yet tanks remain effective when integrated into combined-arms operations with infantry, artillery, air defence and electronic warfare.
- Lt Gen (retd) Dushyant Singh, director general of CLAWS, said tanks are adapting rather than disappearing and now require dedicated anti-drone protection and integrated air defence support to survive.
- During Operation Sindoor, Pakistani drones costing a few lakh rupees forced India to fire interceptors worth several crores — a 'battle of mathematics' where defenders lose economically even when winning tactically.
Why it matters: India is committing over ₹75,000 crore across the Zorawar and FRCV programs simultaneously, reflecting a strategic bet that no drone can hold the 3,400-km LAC or the plains of the western front. The Zorawar specifically closes a high-altitude gap — legacy T-72s and T-90s were designed for plains warfare and lose engine power in thin air — while the FRCV's integrated anti-drone systems acknowledge that the Ukraine war has permanently altered tank doctrine.
