The Indian Army is looking at newer technology to enhance the operational capability of its armoured formations at high altitude, with more focus being laid on induction of lighter mechanised platforms.
“We are looking at induction of light tanks like the Zorawar and mechanised vehicles to meet our requirements in high-altitude areas,” General Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Western Command, Lt Gen Manoj Kumar Katiyar said in Chandimandir Military Station on Monday.
Speaking on the sidelines of Mech Tech, a seminar on making mechanised platforms future-ready organised by the Western Command, he said that while armoured units have been deployed in eastern Ladakh as well as North Sikkim to meet the threat perception, lighter armoured vehicles would be more effective.
The Indian Army first used tanks at high altitude in 1947-48, when Stuart tanks were moved to Zoji La at an altitude of around 12,000 feet in Kashmir, to check Pakistani invaders who had entered the Valley in a bid to capture it.
Tanks were next used in high altitude during the 1962 Sino-Indian conflict, when AMX-13 tanks were airlifted by the IAF to the Chushul sector along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in south-eastern Ladakh.
In the early 1990s, a small number of T-72 tanks and BMP infantry combat vehicles were airlifted to Ladakh and permanently deployed in that sector. Later, this increased to three regiments, forming up an armoured brigade.
During the 2020 stand-off with China along the LAC, additional armoured vehicles, including the latest T-90 were airlifted to the frontline to deal with the Chinese incursions. The Army has since restructured its deployment in Ladakh and has been maintaining enhanced force levels.
Over the years, the Army has been developing operational and logistical capability to operate armoured vehicles in snow bound areas. It has driven tanks from lower altitude to heights of over 17,000 feet, besides setting up major tank repair facilities in Ladakh. Sub-zero temperature, rugged terrain and rarefied air are among challenges associated with operating tanks in areas like Ladakh.
As a fallout of the LAC situation, a light tank, christened Zorawar, has been developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation specifically for employment in high altitude areas. Larsen and Toubro is the manufacturer of this tank, which weighs around 25 tonnes compared to 45 tonnes for the T-90.
The Army intends to equip seven armoured regiments with the Zorawar. Other options like the US Stryker wheeled armoured vehicle and the indigenously developed wheeled-armoured platform are also being considered, while the BMP, which was inducted in the 1980s is also becoming due for replacement.
Discussing the role of mechanised forces in contemporary warfare, Lt Gen Katiyar said that a number of questions were raised on the efficacy of mechanised forces due to initial reverses in the Russia-Ukraine War.
He said that among the lessons drawn for the war was that we have been able to see how mechanised platforms were targeted in the war and we have been able to devise counter measures to deal with emerging threats.
The army is aiming to make the mechanised forces more effective by looking at threats from various platforms like drones and other anti-tank weapon systems and come up with requisite solutions.
On the issue of the emergence of drones as a prominent element of the battlefield, the Western Army Commander said that drones are a major gamechanger in the next generation warfare as can been seen from the Russia-Ukraine war and the conflicts in the Middle East.
Terming it to be the future of warfare, he said that drones was something that we have to induct into the armed forces in huge numbers to cover the operational spectrum at all levels and the armed forces are not only looking at unmanned aerial vehicles but also unmanned ground systems and underwater systems.
