Exclusive: "So L&T Doesn't Lose Heart" - Defence Secretary On Fast-Tracking Zorawar Light Tank

The government is looking for a middle ground that would allow a limited first batch of indigenous Zorawar light tanks, built by Larsen & Toubro, to be inducted soon, with better-protected versions to follow.

The Zorawar light tank was jointly developed by DRDO's Combat Vehicles Research and Development Establishment (CVRDE) and Larsen & Toubro, with L&T handling system integration and Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) supplying subsystems. The project was approved in March 2022, and the tank was unveiled on July 6, 2024, at L&T's Hazira plant, less than two years later. That is a remarkable pace, given how slowly major weapons systems are usually developed in India.

"It's an example of what I mentioned, that you start with a certain level of requirements, then somewhere down the line you want something more, which delays the induction process," said RK Singh, India's Defence Secretary. He was speaking on Sunday at NDTV's Defence Conclave 2026.

NDTV's Vishnu Som and Shiv Aroor on a Zorawar Light Tank.

Singh indicated that additional requirements had been added before the Zorawar could be accepted for initial induction. Indian defence manufacturers have often complained of 'shifting goalposts' by planners in the armed forces, meaning additional, and sometimes inexplicable, capability requirements that send manufacturers back to the drawing board.

The government, however, appears intent on getting the Zorawar into service in phases, even though the initial order of 59 tanks covers less than a fifth of the Army's requirement of about 354 light tanks. Only about 18 of those 59 are likely to be inducted in the first batch.

"So we tried to find a middle way. As I mentioned, my role now gives me the chance to mediate some of these differences. So what we are hoping to do is do an initial Mark 1 [version of the Zorawar tank] which has a certain level of capability and [later], the balance. I think the initial order was meant to be 59, so about 18 to start with, with a slightly lower level of protection and the balance at a higher level.''

The initial Zorawar Mk-1 order is meant to ensure that Larsen & Toubro "does not lose heart and, you know, stop working on this. So I think the Army has pretty much agreed to that, so we hope to take this forward in that manner."

The sanctioned cost for designing and developing the Zorawar, including one prototype, was Rs 234.5 crore, according to the Defence Ministry's reply in the Lok Sabha in July 2024. India needed the tank to counter China's Type-15 light tank along the Line of Actual Control in Ladakh. The Army's heavier T-72 and T-90 tanks lose engine power at high altitude. At about 25 tonnes, the Zorawar is roughly half their weight, handles mountainous terrain well, and two can be airlifted in an Indian Air Force C-17 heavy transport. The tank has completed trials above 4,200 metres at Nyoma.

India is buying about 354 light tanks through two separate routes. The first is the DRDO-designed Zorawar. The Defence Ministry nominated DRDO and L&T to supply the first 59 tanks, and Singh expects L&T to receive an initial order for about 18 soon. The second route covers the remaining 295 tanks through a "Make-I" competition, under which the government funds up to 70% of prototype development costs. According to reports, Tata Advanced Systems emerged as the lowest bidder in this program, reportedly worth about Rs 20,000 crore, and must deliver two prototypes within 130 weeks. Mahindra Defence, the second-lowest bidder, will also build a prototype. The selection took three years and was delayed further by a rival's objections, which were later found to be invalid.