The Defence Acquisitions Council (DAC) will soon consider granting AoN (acceptance of necessity) for the armoured fighting vehicle-Indian light tank (AFV-ILT) under Project ‘Zorawar’ at the cost of around Rs 17,500 crore.
The proposal is to reserve 59 of the 354 light tanks, each weighing less than 25 tonnes and offering a high power-to-weight ratio as well as superior firepower and protection.
The remaining 295 tanks will be built under a government-funded design and development project for the Indian industry under the Defence Acquisition Procedure’s ‘Make-1’ category (DAP). Further, the Government is expected to allow DRDO to compete with private firms for this project.
DRDO’s Combat Vehicles Research and Development Establishment (CVRDE) is already working on a light tank prototype with private sector company Larsen & Toubro (L&T) as the lead system integrator. The first prototype of the same is expected to be ready by 2023.
