The Indian Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has completed the experimental design tests of the new generation Zorawar light tank and will begin operational tests in September 2025, according to Samir Kamat, head of the agency.
The author of Defence blog noted that Zorawar was developed as a mobile combat platform suitable for operations in mountainous terrain. This program was initiated after Indian Armed Forces personnel were unable to operate the T-72 and T-90 in the mountains.
The tracked combat vehicle is powered by a Cummins engine with 750 hp. The tank reaches speeds of up to 65 km/h.
The Zorawar is equipped with a John Cockerill 3105 turret of Belgian manufacture with a 105 mm rifled gun capable of firing armor-piercing, high-explosive fragmentation and guided projectiles.
Additional armament includes a coaxial 7.62 mm machine gun and a Soviet 12.7 mm NSVT (Nikitin-Sokolov-Volkov tank) machine gun in a remotely controlled combat module.
The turret can withstand fire from a 25 mm gun from a distance of 500 meters. The hull provides protection against 14.5 mm bullets. The tank can be equipped with modular add-on armor that meets NATO STANAG 4569 Level 4 ballistic standards.
The Indian Armed Forces have ordered 59 Zorawar tanks. In the future, it is planned to increase their number to 300.
The NSVT, which has been in service since the 1970s, is designed to destroy group and single targets, enemy personnel, tanks and vehicles at a distance of up to 2000 m, as well as low-flying aerial targets at ranges up to 1500 m.
NSVT Characteristics:
- Weight — 25 kg
- Crew — 1 person
- Cartridge — 12.7 by 108 mm
- Operating principle — gas exhaust
- Ammunition supply — belt-fed
- Rate of fire — 700-800 rounds per minute
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