Light tanks for Indian Army

pipebomb

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we dont have 125mm smoothbore turret :fyeah:.
That is why i said to develop it. Drdo's R&D budget is quite low compared to china, so its would be smart to cover 125mm unmanned turret's development cost under light tank program. Even if they miss the 25 ton weight limit, simply because fmbt market is a bigger market then light tank. Imagine what a body blow it would be to our efforts we have been putting behind not only Arjun & other indian tanks if frcv succeed ( hope the recent pmo led rationalisation of rfi strike it down).

Other benifits would be commonality of ammo and it is easier to sell a overweight 125mm tank than a overweight 105mm tank.
 

Love Charger

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That is why i said to develop it. Drdo's R&D budget is quite low compared to china, so its would be smart to cover 125mm unmanned turret's development cost under light tank program. Even if they miss the 25 ton weight limit, simply because fmbt market is a bigger market then light tank. Imagine what a body blow it would be to our efforts we have been putting behind not only Arjun & other indian tanks if frcv succeed ( hope the recent pmo led rationalisation of rfi strike it down).

Other benifits would be commonality of ammo and it is easier to sell a overweight 125mm tank than a overweight 105mm tank.
A fmbt deserves minimum a 130 mm smoothbore tank gun
 

fire starter

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India has chosen the German Ka-500 V8 engine for its light tank

The future Indian light tank, jointly developed by the DRDO Combat Vehicle Research and Development Center [CVRDE] and the private company Larsen & Toubro, plans to be equipped with a German MTU MT 881 Ka-500 V8 diesel engine.

The MTU MT 881 Ka-500 V8 water-cooled diesel engine with 735 kW [1000 hp] at 2700 rpm uses a single-stage turbocharger and is equipped with a fuel injection system that allows it to operate at ambient temperatures up to -46 ° C.

It should also be added that a little earlier, Russia announced plans to sell its light tanks “Octopus-WYD1” to India. However, it seems that the Indian army has once again given up [as once from the Msta-C AC in favor of the K9 Vajra-T] from Russian weapons and wants to develop its project.



oh well!!
suited for operating at LC with china
Seems like these guys follow this Forum since this Forum was First to break News that NGMBT turret will be used in light tank.
 

pipebomb

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Unnecessary toys where at LAC ......, a man with fire power is more important than the light tanks trying to climb the mountains. The Indian heavies confronting the Chinese tanks in open areas will make a mince meat of the light tank. The heavies could be transported in pieces to the operational areas. In fact T-72 and T-90 are already there at spanggur Gap and Depsang open slopes. Chinese know that hence have refrained from any aggressive moves.
How does a 105mm unitary apfsds ammo compare to a two piece t-72/t-90 ammo
 

pipebomb

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A rfi is launched for light tanks below 25 ton weight. Response is wanted by june.

So only sprut SD qualifies the RFI. As all other light and medium tanks including proposed l&t/drdo jv light tanks are above 25 tons.
Can drdo guys lie about it and say it will be under 25ton while working on a 125 mm unmanned turret. At the end they can just say "we overshoot our weight target a bit". I hope this tank will repeat what Arjun did to t-90
 

pipebomb

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Engine can be downgraded & hull have to be as close to 20t as possible... That'll leave 9-10ton for the turret, another 2-3 for the fuel & ammo.
What would be your weight guess estimate for a 125mm unmanned turret with reduced ammo magazine be.
 

pipebomb

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That is why i said to develop it. Drdo's R&D budget is quite low compared to china, so its would be smart to cover 125mm unmanned turret's development cost under light tank program. Even if they miss the 25 ton weight limit, simply because fmbt market is a bigger market then light tank. Imagine what a body blow it would be to our efforts we have been putting behind not only Arjun & other indian tanks if frcv succeed ( hope the recent pmo led rationalisation of rfi strike it down).

Other benifits would be commonality of ammo and it is easier to sell a overweight 125mm tank than a overweight 105mm tank.
This light tank could even implement a 2 man crew concept.
 

WolfPack86

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L&T & Hanwha Defense To Jointly Produce K21-105 Tanks For Indian Army
India’ Larsen & Toubro (L&T) has said it’s ready to supply light-weight tanks with S. Korea’s Hanwha Defence for the Indian Army.

Associate degree L&T representative told Janes on 7 Feb that the corporate plans to partner with Hanwha Defence on producing light tanks for the Indian Army. the 2 corporations have already partnered to produce the K-9 Vajra-T self-propelled mortar (SPH), a variant of the K-9 Thunder SPH, for the Indian Army

However, the spokesperson further said that the Indian Ministry of Defence (MoD) has solely discharged the request for info (RFI) for the light tanks and not the tender. The joint production of sunshine tanks is unsure at this stage since the tender’ categorisation can decide what direction the program will take, the interpreter added. This categorisation will verify whether or not and to what degree so much off|a distant|an overseas|a remote} merchant are concerned in producing the sunshine tanks.

Given this situation, i feel it’s far too early for any world player to supply their product to India,” same the L&T spokesperson.

A spokesperson from Hanwha Defence told Janes on thirteen January that the South Korean company is willing to jointly manufacture the K21-105 light-weight tank with L&T for the Indian Army. This arrangement would be the same as the programme to create the K-9 Vajra-T SPH.

“Hanwha Defence can talk to its Indian partner the extent of technology pro re nata underneath the create in India policy,” the Hanwha Defence interpreter told Janes.
 

WolfPack86

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India gives nod for indigenous development of light tanks for mountain warfare
New Delhi: Amid the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine, India has given in-principle approval for indigenous design and development of light tanks for mountain warfare, a need for which was felt during the current stand-off with China at the Line of Actual Control (LAC).

The Russians had earlier offered its Sprut light tanks to the Indian Army — a proposal that is being considered — even as private firm Larsen and Toubro was working with the DRDO to convert the tracked 155 mm howitzer Vajra into a light tank, ThePrint had reported last year.

The move is expected to boost Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s push for self-reliance and is the first defence ministry announcement since the launch of the Defence Acquisition Procedure 2020 which aimed at ‘simplifying’ project acquisition processes and involve indigenous industry in the development of such projects.

The in-principle approval of light tank development, announced Thursday, forms part of the ministry’s approval of nine defence projects. Four, including the light tank, come under the procedure’s Make-I, or “government funded” project category, while the remaining five are under the Make-II, or “industry-funded” project category.

The ministry also approved the autonomous combat vehicle project and an integrated surveillance and targeting system for the Indian Army. The remaining approvals — full motion simulators for the Apache and Chinook helicopters — were given to the Indian Air Force.

Why light tank is significant for the Army
While the Indian Army has had a historic need for lightweight tanks, or light tanks, the situation became increasingly apparent since 2020 due to the Indian-China standoff along the LAC in Eastern Ladakh. At that time, India had deployed heavier tanks like the T-72 and T-90.

When the Mountain Divisions were being raised in 2009, the Army had “issued a Request for Information (RFI) for 200 wheeled and 100 tracked light weight tanks”, ThePrint had reported.

After the stand-off broke out in 2020, DRDO was reported to be in talks with Indian private firm Larsen & Toubro for a project to convert the K9 ‘Vajra’ 155 mm self-propelled howitzer into a 35-tonne light weight tank.

By February 2021, L&T was reported to remain in talks with the DRDO over the tank conversion project after delivering the last of hundred K9 Vajra howitzers, as part of a contract awarded in 2017.

Two months later, the Army had put out an RFI for 350 25-tonne lightweight tanks and sought vendors for the same as part of the effort to improve its mountain warfare capabilities.

Aside from prospects of indigenous development, Russia had also offered India 18-tonne Sprut SDM1 lightweight tanks as a potential procurement project in August 2020. India showed interest in Sprut in June 2021 and had received the opportunity to observe trials of the Russian lightweight tank later that summer.
 

WolfPack86

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LIGHT WEIGHT TANKS FOR THE INDIAN ARMY WILL ROLL OUT IN 2023, SAYS DRDO CHIEF: REPORT
DRDO’s Light Tank Will Be Power Pack As “The Highest Altitude Operable Tank In The Globe”: said G Satheesh Reddy, Chairman DRDO


Secretary, Department of Defence R&D and Chairman DRDO Dr G Satheesh Reddy said, “Work on the Light Weight Tank is going on in full swing. By 2023 the tank will be fully ready for production.” reports Financial Express Online.

DRDO is tasked to empower India for building capability in defence –that not only limited to armed forces but it is now about technology for today and future which is foundational to growing defence economy. Last year, in the wake of precarious situation at LAC, despite the Covid 19, DRDO had some of the best moment of technological breakthrough with avant-garde R&D, speedier trials and turnaround delivery so far. Besides such feet recently, It does get fair and unfair amount of criticism which it carries from the past record and legacy issues.

The USP of DRDO’s proposed light tank for the Indian Army is that it will be fitted with High Altitude Operable Power pack (Engine + Transmission) of 1000hp and will be capable of firing multiple ammunition. This tank may be called as “highest altitude operable tank in the globe”. The design work has commenced and we will bring out the timelines.

The Modi government on 3 March 2022 announced the development of light tanks for the Indian Army (IA). This decision was taken under the Make-I category of the 2020 Defence Procurement Procedure (DPP) and comes against the backdrop of India’s conversion of the K-9 Vajra mobile howitzer in to a light tank. A regiment of the K9-Vajra, which is a tracked 155mm/2 self-propelled howitzer capable of striking targets 50 kilometres away is now deployed in Ladakh in the ongoing stand-off with the Chinese according to ORF online.

Further, deployments of the Vajra are likely in other parts of the Sino-Indian boundary. The K9-Vajra, however, was never going to be sufficient or a credible substitute for a dedicated light tank, which the government has now given an in-principle approval. The decision to deploy the Vajra was largely to meet the immediate military contingency facing India on its border with China and service some part of the firepower requirements of the IA. In terms of weight, the K9-Vajra is a 50-ton tracked vehicle slightly exceeding the weight class of actual tanks such as the T-90 and T-72 Main Battle Tanks (MBTs), which are also deployed in Ladakh. T-90s combat weight is 48 tons and the older T-72s weigh 46 tons. Both Russian-built MBTs are equipped with 125mm guns.

The decision was taken against the backdrop of the conversion of the tracked 155 Howitzer K-9 Vajra mobile a into a 35-ton light weight tank. These light weight tanks are ideal to be used for mountain warfare and will be deployed along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) where the need for these tanks was felt during the ongoing stand-off with China.
 

WolfPack86

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INDIAN ARMY TO GET LIGHT WEIGHT TANKS BY 2023
New Delhi:
Indian Army is expected to have light weight tanks by 2023 which will be made in India in collaboration with Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and Larsen & Turbo (L&T).


While speaking to media, DRDO Dr G Satheesh Reddy said, "Work on the Light Weight Tank is going on in full swing. By 2023 the tank will be fully ready for production."

He further said, "We are involving the Indian industry as Development cum Production Partners (DcPP). A lot of projects are being developed along with the industry.”

The need for light weight tanks has been felt more in the wake of the standoff between the armies of India and China along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh.

Since the Indian Army does not have light tanks, it has been forced to deploy heavier tanks like the T-72 weighing 45 tons and T-90 which weighs around 46 tons. Moving these tanks in the tough terrain of mountains remains a challenging task.

It should be noted that last year, the Army had issued a Request For Information (RFI) for procuring around 350 light tanks with a weight of less than 25 tonnes to be deployed in High Altitude Areas (HAA).
 

binayak95

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Eye on China threat, Army launches Project Zorawar to deploy light tanks for mountain warfare

25 tonnes. With APS. With tactical recce drone. With loitering munition. Must be apmhibious.

And yeas, throw in the word AI cause its cool. RETARDS
 

Marliii

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Kuldeepm952

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APS and amphibious???

Almost feels like the project is setup to failure.
Aps is no problem, the main problem is amphibious capability. At this point why even call this light tank just call it apc with 105mm cannon, probably going to be paper thin Armor, pretty shitty design choice imo which is so called a tank, or may be they just don't understand what tank is.
 

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