Lt Gen N B Singh, Veteran
Background
The light tank project has been being undertaken by the Indian Army to improve its mobility and reach in the higher reaches of the Ladakh sector to effectively counter the Chinese deployment of its light tank Type 15 that has been specifically built to operate in highlands, plateau, forested regions and shallow inundated areas. The Army had projected a requirement of 354 light tanks . 59 of these are being developed by DRDO in collaboration with an industrial partner Larsen & Toubro. For the remaining, the Army is expected to adopt a different programme, for which six to seven firms are in contention, most likely offering obsolescent foreign platforms that have been developed decades ago and looking for markets abroad. DRDO has been working with L&T on the project to build the 25-tonne Indian light tank (ILT), with required agility and ability for quick deployment in high altitudes and mountainous terrain. It is to include Artificial Intelligence driven functionality, all-terrain deployability , multi-layered protection, lethal firepower and real-time situational awareness— all attributes of high-tech mechanistic warfare, loaded with electronic systems and chips. The brief of the project states:-
“The ILT is envisaged to be as lethal and survivable as the current tanks and will have major mobility advantage to be employed majorly in High Altitude Areas and Marginal Terrain. “
It is important that the evolution and development of light tank is taken up with a differentiation instead of treading the beaten path, since the surrounding environment is menacing and threatening. Designing a single platform to operate in all types of terrain creates challenges. What may work in plains may demonstrate chronic capability deficit in mountains ; take the case of Kornet E missile and Krasnapol ammunition, which had serious operability issues in mountains. The decision to take up development of a regiment worth of tanks using the R&D capabilities of DRDO and keeping 296 for the industry may end up as an activity with diminishing returns or a repeat of the Arjun experience . Arjun`s system readiness is partial, simply due to the low numbers manufactured using foreign supplied sub systems. As on date DRDO happens to be the only agency with the knowledge cache to design land systems ground up; having delivered many complex systems like Arjun, Akash, , Pinaka , Sarvatra, etc. No other entity in the country public or private has this competence and hence DRDO`s effort needs to be fully backed.
It is reported that the first prototype has been developed and undergone initial trials of a few hundred kms at an industrial facility. It was expected to be handed over for field trials to the Army by April 2024; something that appeared very optimistic when reported. If delivered even by year end , it will be one of the fastest design and development project undertaken in recent years. Stryker design and development was possibly one such project. This effort of DRDO needs to be supported whole heartedly by designating Zorawar as the Indian mountain tank (IMT) since it is to be majorly employed in mountains.
Govt approval for the project to be undertaken by DRDO was given in Sep 2022 and as per media reports it was expected that the prototype will be handed over for evaluation by 2023, a very ambitious deadline by any standards . Even the April time frame appears to be tight since designing complex platforms like a tank takes years to come to fruition. As per reports the initial plan to use a MTU power pack was jettisoned and a Cummins engine selected. The turret and main armament, a 105 mm main gun has been procured from Belgian firm, John Cockerill, that specialises in gun systems ranging from 20 to 105 mm calibre. One hopes, that this assemblage of imported systems finally transforms into a formidable IMT urgently needed at the LAC.
Technology Tree
A look at the technology tree of a light tank at Fig 1 gives an account of the humongous work involved . Around 40 plus subsystems covering several disciplines of technology are to be integrated to operate as a seamless whole, performing in very trying conditions of terrain and weather and delivering a desired mission capability . To achieve system maturity (SM), the platform has to undergo several thousand kilometres of tank runs, several hours of operation of critical sub systems and firing several rounds of ammunition. It is learnt that DRDO has attempted to mate the Cockerill turret , Cummins powerpack with a local drive line with hydro pneumatic suspension and rubberised tracks. It may be extremely difficult to remain within the weight budget of 25 tonnes. This is because of the stipulation that frontal arc protection has to be equivalent to 600 mm of RHA and all round protection of STANAG 3 i.e. 155 mm splinters and 7.62 mm AP at 30 metres. In addition , explosive reactive armour is to be integrated.
One can only hope DRDO`s re -engineering is spot on and key design and system engineering issues have been resolved. Design effectiveness and mission effectiveness could result in a formidable capability being given to the war fighter. Every decision made during the system engineering process must have considered its impact on performance , reliability, maintainability and cost of ownership; something that was ignored during the famously tortured development of the Arjun and is being realised today when the platform`s mission effectiveness is getting impacted. Similarly, testability which is a link between reliability and maintainability has to be given due consideration so as to achieve a balance between reliability, maintainability, performance & cost. Failure mode , effects and criticality analysis (FMECA) must remain an area of focus during the entire testing and trial process.
Weight Budget
The weight stipulation of 25 tonnes in QR appears to have been picked up keeping some foreign platform in mind and needs to be debated , seeing the survivability requirements that have emerged post the war in Ukraine. While a 25 tonne tank may be necessary to meet the doctrinal needs of airland battles, blitzkrieg or airborne operations , its requirement in mountains and open terrain at LAC is questionable. Specially, with the now unfolding threat from the combined fire power of first person view drones , precision artillery and situationally aware small teams with anti tank weapons. Like the Type 15 , an all up weight up to 30- 35 tonnes appears to be justified from survivability angle. This will provide the tank with the required amount of layered armour protection to take on hits and continue fighting. In the 25 tonne category an ICV or wheeled APC with a 30/40 mm cannon and ATGM is more suited to provide fire support to infantry in mountains.
Tests and Evaluation
System test , evaluation and validation requirements are established during the design and development phase of a new system. Comprehensive tests are needed if the system design is new ,many unknowns exist and risks are high. All these tests are aimed to bring in SM and stabilize system readiness(SR). Type 1 testing is done in early phases of development when engineering models, software , service test models are built . These are performed in the Development Agency`s (DA) premises. Type 2 testing usually refers to activity linked to preliminary clearance of the system for operational use and could include a vast array of tests. Testing schedule may include performance tests , environmental & structural testing, reliability trials, maintainability assessment, personnel test and evaluation, software and technical data verification. User and maintenance personnel are present as observers or participate in testing .
Type 3 testing is accomplished by the user at an operational test site whether on land, in air or at sea. Key Performance Parameters (KPPs) related to operational and technical support functions are measured and verified for compliance. These tests though not representing the actual operational tempos , are designed to provide a close approximation. User and Maintainability trials comprise these. It is important that firing trials are realistic and not conducted as staged fire power demonstrations . Type 4 testing is carried out to get a further insight into some specific areas like change in the mission profile, total system effectiveness or life cycle costs. Finally, I will recommend another testing, call it Type 5 , which is live firing trials to be conducted on the prototype so as to evaluate the size of fuel and ammunition presented area and likely casualties in case of an ammo hit . It will also help ascertain the effectiveness of bulk armour, onboard electronics, fire suppression system, effect of over pressure and temperature, penetration and spall, secondary fires and other survivability requirements. No amount of simulation and modelling will provide such results that could save lives of the crew. If a prototype is blown up so be it, machines are expendable , the gallant Indian soldier is not.
It is important that the military takes up the evaluation of the prototype with the ownership that is needed for the Zorawar design to stabilize and mature. It should not be a repeat of the Arjun development which went on a roller coaster. While there was a segment that supported indigenous development and favored its induction in fairly large numbers , there were others who stymied this initiative by frequent requirement drifts and pursuit of the import option. One major lesson of the war in Ukraine has been that weapon platforms whether East European or the more sophisticated ones from the West have performed sub optimally in terms of KPPs claimed . Hence, the relentless pursuit of foreign platforms needs to end sometime, before their vulnerabilities get exposed in our operational environment , adversely impacting reputation of the fighting force. There is an indispensable need to create an IMT that adapts itself to the harsh high altitudes of the Himalayas with the agility, lethality and the mythical aura of Yeti – the abominable snow man. In short , a bespoke , indigenous platform that is reliable, modular, terrain hardened , easy to maintain and delivers a mission capability several notches higher than Type 15. This is can only be achieved through ISRO like core values of local talent, local innovation and local supply chain.
The Adversary`s Weapon Platform
The Chinese VT5 / ZTQ 15 light tank incorporates a 1000 hp power pack and weighs 33-36 tonnes. It is reported to have a rifled gun which uses a new 105mm ammunition. The gun is superior to the one used by the Type 59 & Type 80s.The tank is equipped with NBC protection, air conditioning system, command-&-control system , tactical command system & navigation suite that includes INS & satellite communications. Its main gun can fire APFSDS rounds that can penetrate up to 500mm of armoured steel. Its gun launched ATGM with tandem warhead can defeat the frontal armour of T series platforms. The missile can also engage low flying helicopters. Some other features include bustle mounted auto loader, oxygen production system for crew and a battlefield management system .
It is a modern tank, developed to offset the disadvantages of deploying heavier MBTs in mountains and could feature added technological surprises seeing the innovative abilities of the Chinese defence industrial base(DIB). This could provide it a distinct edge over the heavier MBTs deployed . For India the option is to adopt a capability centric development of Zorawar and no amount of jockeying for an imported platform should change this pursuit of self reliance. Zorawar needs to be designed with equipment capabilities a few levels higher than Type 15 and other platforms it is likely to encounter. This alone will provide the operational overreach and assurance to the gallant Indian soldier that his platform too is home grown and will always be in full readiness , to give a militarily effective response to the adversary.
Pursuing ISRO`s Core values
In order to achieve this noble goal, team work and collaboration of the kind seen in ISRO`s programmes has to become the key drivers of the project. The most important player of the team , the Army has to change tack and whole heartedly lead the team . Like Dr Vikram Sarabhai`s strategic plan for ISRO, Zorawar project has to be envisioned as an integrated whole, involving not only the creation of an operational capability but also setting up the foundation of an industrial ecosystem to manufacture future tracked platforms. Dr Sarabhai knew several decades ago that strategic autonomy will come if the space programme encompasses design and manufacture of rockets, satellites, launch vehicles and launch facilities.
Wide ranging programmes for development of rocket fuels, propulsion systems, aeronautics and aerospace materials, telemetry and instruments were taken up. On similar lines, once the Zorawar`s design reaches early stages of SM, MSMEs need to be invited to take up development of the 40 plus systems shown in the technology tree( Fig 1) . Development of next generation technologies like hybrid electric drives, ceramic armour, soft recoil armament, insensitive munitions and hardened electronics should be taken up to reduce dependency on foreign supplied systems. This process will consolidate the establishment of a local DIB for Zorawar, which subsequently will innovate and create futuristic platforms. A little hand holding and profound knowledge leadership is all what is needed.
What Dr Sarabhai was pursuing for ISRO in the sixties has been adopted decades later by several nations in their quest for self reliance. Why this approach could not be adopted for Arjun remains an enigma despite the fact that Dr Abdul Kalam with his ISRO background had ushered these practices for the integrated missile development programme. Take the example of Israeli Defence Force`s (IDF) support of Merkava tank in all stages of its development . That over 40 years and four models later , Merkava has emerged as a battle hardened platform with a unique design of its own is a testimony to IDF`s perseverance and commitment to self reliance .
The Army has to demonstrate similar passion and commitment for the development of its own IMT. It is crucial to share with DRDO the experiences of deploying East European platforms in high tempo operations in mountains. Inputs on operational vulnerabilities of T series designs that have led to massive attrition of men and steel in the Ukraine war need to be made available to designers so that a robust design of Zorawar is evolved over successive iterations. It is reported that an amount of 200 crores has been sanctioned by the Govt for this project. The endeavor now should be to complete a full spectrum trial with the aim of achieving SM of critical modules like mobility, armament and survivability. Battle damage repair requirements and sustainability needs during combat operations in very harsh terrain need to be identified. The effort should be to catalogue all requirements ,operational and technical so that corrective actions can be initiated in subsequent prototypes. Fig 3 gives out how sustainability and capability readiness gets impacted through a reliability and maintainability centric development process. Capability readiness is dependent upon system readiness and system maturity.
The aim plus of the trials has to be to develop complete clarity on what equipment capabilities are needed for a tank to survive , move and continue its mission at the LAC. No foreign design house or OEM will provide these , at best they can market high tech gadgets masquerading as Wunderwaffes . Most planners in the military accept such claims on face value . Many a times import option gets exercised without comprehensive trials in order to fill an operational void. A few years after deployment , capability shortfalls get exposed during exercises and deployments and need for a new platform surfaces. Time for a strategic shift — like IDF , the Army too needs to put it full weight behind the evolution of an IMT fueled by Indian innovation , centered around indigenous specifications framed after a deep understanding of equipment capability requirements in the Himalayas ; not attributes cut and pasted from foreign platforms.
Conventional threats to the IMT could include kinetic-energy projectiles, shaped charges, explosively formed projectiles delivered by drones and precision guided munitions and need to be the focus of designers. Unconventional threats include nuclear, biological, and chemical weapons and EMP. The tank could use modular armour to tailor protection to these threats. In addition, the tank needs to be designed for restorability implying the intrinsic need to design a system that is modular, simple and highly maintainable , so that it can be quickly returned back into action . Restorability ensures that a combination of planned engineering support and industrial surge enables daily losses to be replenished , a critical requirement that has emerged from the war in Ukraine. Survivability and restorability are crucial for resilience of the fighting force and should form the corner stone of IMT`s development.
Conclusion
The development of Zorawar in a short span of two to three years is indicative of the versatile industrial capabilities available in the country. In keeping with the reputation of L&T , one expects that IMT is offered for user trials after pain staking internal trials and with unique equipment capabilities needed for hi tempo operations in outer Himalayas. It is important that the trials are carried out with the aim of ascertaining vital operational KPPs and vulnerabilities. If even 70-75 % operational requirements are met, the effort needs to be given a thumbs up and taken forward with fast track indigenization of sub systems and components to ensure supportability. Capability shortfalls can be built into next set of prototypes , tested and re-tested till full system maturity is achieved. For purposeful localization of supply chain , a bold decision to resort to a production run of near 400 IMTs needs to be taken by the Govt . By adopting the idea of a bespoke IMT for the mountains and putting the entire weight of the Indian industry behind it, scarce monetary resources will be conserved, time lines telescoped and a versatile , customized tank will reach the hands of the warfighter. What a proud moment it will be for all !. Concomitantly , the much needed defence industrial eco system will get established . Like ISRO , one hopes that Zorawar too is able to find a knowledge leader , willing to trail blaze a maiden course , determined not to repeat mindsets that have short changed the Arjun project.
About the Author
Lt Gen (Dr) N B Singh, PVSM, AVSM, VSM, ADC is a former DGEME, DGIS and Member Armed Forces Tribunal. Views expressed are his own.
(This article was first published in IDR July 2024 issue. Published here with the Author’s permission)
