Indian Army Tanks and Armoured Vehicles

India’s standard battle tanks are too heavy for many stretches of its mountain border. That gap is why a new 25-tonne light tank exists. This article covers India’s Army tanks and armoured vehicles — the fleet in service, and what’s replacing it.

Two Tank Clocks Running at Once

SciTech0019

3 SEP 2024

FRCV Approved

1,770 tanks planned, phased rollout

2025

Zorawar Trials Complete

Development trials done

EARLY 2026

Zorawar User Trials

Begin in Ladakh’s high altitude

EXPECTED 2027

Zorawar Induction

FRCV: not before the mid-2030s

Two speeds: Zorawar is a fast track for an urgent high-altitude gap; FRCV is a slow, structured track to replace the whole ageing fleet.

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Timeline

• 3 September 2024: The Future Ready Combat Vehicle (FRCV) programme receives official approval.
• 2025: The Zorawar light tank completes its development trials.
• Early 2026: Zorawar’s Army user trials begin, starting in Ladakh’s high-altitude terrain.
• Expected 2027: Zorawar’s planned induction into the Indian Army.

Must Know

• India’s Army tank fleet mixes license-built (T-90S Bhishma) and indigenous (Arjun) main battle tanks, plus a new indigenous light tank, Zorawar, in development.
• Zorawar is a 25-tonne class light tank, jointly developed by DRDO and L&T, designed for high-altitude and air-transportable deployment.
• The Future Ready Combat Vehicle (FRCV) programme, approved 3 September 2024, plans to procure 1,770 new tanks in phases, replacing India’s ageing T-72 fleet.
• India operates about 1,300 T-90S Bhishma tanks, built under licence at the Heavy Vehicles Factory, Avadi.

Good to Know

• Zorawar’s development trials are complete. User trials by the Army are set to begin in early 2026, starting in Ladakh’s terrain.
• Zorawar is expected to enter service by 2027.
• FRCV’s first phase covers 590 of the planned 1,770 vehicles, at a cost of about ₹57,000 crore.
• FRCV is unlikely to enter service before the mid-2030s — a much longer runway than Zorawar’s.

Test Yourself

Please wait…

1. What is Zorawar’s weight class, and who jointly developed it?

25-tonne class, developed by DRDO and L&T

60-tonne class, developed by DRDO alone

10-tonne class, developed by HAL

40-tonne class, developed by BEL and BHEL

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Great to Know

• Zorawar exists because of a specific gap. Standard MBTs like T-90 and Arjun are too heavy for many high-altitude, forward-deployed terrains, especially along the China border. A dedicated light tank fills that gap, rather than replacing the heavier fleet.
• FRCV’s mid-2030s timeline against Zorawar’s 2027 target shows India running two different tank-modernisation clocks at once. One is a fast track for an urgent capability gap. The other is a slow, structured track for wholesale MBT replacement.
• Arjun’s decades-long, still-incomplete rollout is a cautionary case often cited in India’s indigenous defence programmes. It’s part of why FRCV is being run under a “strategic partnership” industry model instead.
• For the organisation behind these programmes, see SciTech0011 — DRDO. For India’s missile defence layer, see SciTech0017 — Ballistic Missile Defence Programme.