India is inching closer to acquiring a new generation of light tanks, with the indigenous Zorawar leading the charge. It is learnt that the Indian Army has received bids for its light tank on July 14. The bids are from 5 vendors: AVNL, Bharat Forge, Tata, Mahindra plus a bid from Larson & Toubro.

Aimed at bolstering mobility and firepower in high-altitude battlefields like Ladakh and Arunachal Pradesh, the project is expected to cost at least ₹20,000–25,000 crore for 354 tanks.

One of the key players here is Larson & Toubro (L&T) — the only firm to have submitted a commercial bid. L&T, which has already been developing the Zorawar prototype in partnership with DRDO, will reportedly receive an order for 59 tanks. This order appears to be earmarked for urgent operational needs as part of augmentation of current fleet of tanks deployed on the northern borders.

MoD will also pursue a competitive Make-I development programme for more tanks to cater for reconnaissance as well as utilisation by other arms and services. The plan will include onboarding two additional development partners besides L&T, each of whom will be supported under a 70:30 cost-sharing model (70% government, 30% industry).

Splitting of orders between two versions with two or more vendors could create a logistical quagmire and inventory management aspects need to be looked at a lot more closely. Maintaining separate supply chains, training protocols, and toolkits for different versions could pose logitisical and supply chain issues. 

In terms of bid management, the lowest (L1) and second-lowest (L2) bidder may each get a share, but how will the third contender be managed ? These are a few questions which will need to be looked at and debated upon. 

While the operational needs are paramount, a fleet that can be sustained over decades logistically also needs to be factored for a smoother and viable “ life cycle sustenance” dynamics.

Deepak Bhadana

Over the past decade, Deepak Bhadana has built expertise in multimedia storytelling, with a focus on military conflicts, insurgencies, international relations, the defence industry, and occasionally, wildlife and environmental issues.