Project Zorawar - The Army's Plan To Counter China At High Altitude
Project Zorawar – The Army’s Plan To Counter China At High- Altitude
Tanks are offensive platforms that are developed not for muscle flexing but have a larger goal to bug the enemy out and vitiate its plans to lay harm on a nation's sovereignty.
The boundary row in Ladakh saw a heavy deployment of armour, like the BMP-2, the T-90 Bhishma, T-72 Ajeya, K-9 Vajra self-propelled artillery, and other Armoured Fighting Vehicles (AFV) supporting the boots on the ground and other arms.
The temperature in Ladakh can plummet to -40 degrees, and climate conditions have a dominant effect on the performance of such platforms.
To counter challenges in the desert terrain of Ladakh, the Chinese inducted the ZTQ-15 light tanks in its armour profile.
Project Zorawar
The Indian Army plans to procure light tanks for the region to boost its overall firepower and bolster its prowess against the enemy. Strong armour deployment is necessary against the "Dragaon" at high altitude terrain to prevent ‘Salami Slicing’.
Project Zorawar is named after General Zorawar Singh Kahluria who served under Raja Gulab Singh of Jammu from the Dogra dynasty.
General Zorawar played a pivotal role in extending the territories of the Dogra by conquering Ladakh.
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Image Credits: Onmaywaymachine - T-90 Bhishma
What The Army Wants?
A request for information (RFI) was issued by the Ministry of Defence in April 2021, soliciting interest from manufacturers. The defence ministry sought to procure 350 light tanks in a phased manner for the Indian Army.
The light tanks should execute operations in varying terrain conditions across the country with adequate firepower, protection, and surveillance, communication in High Altitude Areas (HAA) and Marginal Terrain (Rann).
The defence ministry listed some Operational Parameters of the desired light tank -- It should be designed for a crew of 2 or 3 personnel with a combat weight of 25 tons ± 10% to ensure transportation via road, rail, or air.
Firepower, mobility, and protection of a tank form a golden triangle. The Army wants a main gun with 105 mm or higher caliber, similar to the Chinese Type 15, and should be capable of firing an Anti-Tank Guided Missile (ATGM), preferably 3rd or higher generation.
The Make in India brief of the project suggests an Active Protection System (APS) for survivability. A soft kill capability is essential, but a hard kill feature will be desirable.
Along with APS, the tank should have electronic countermeasures, counter-countermeasures, laser warnings, and smoke dispensers.
Heavy armour cover can increase the weight of the tank which has an impact on its maneuverability.
According to the Operational Parameters for the light tank, the Nominal ground pressure (NGP) should be around 0.7 Kg/Cm3 for better maneuverability, and a high power-to-weight ratio for better performance, especially at high altitudes where rarefied air affects the efficiency along with low temperature.
NGP is obtained by dividing the vehicle weight by the soil-track contact areas, representing the ground pressure under the track based on the uniform distribution, and is an important parameter for mobility, tractive performance, and soil compaction.
In an article for the Centre for Joint Warfare Studies (CENJOWS), Lt. Gen P R Shankar, PVSM, AVSM, VSM, Former DG Artillery, suggests some modifications in the hull of the K 9 Vajra self-propelled artillery to build a light tank or changing the main gun of a BMP 2 from 40 mm to the 105 mm.
Why The Army Want Light Tanks?
The T-72 Ajeya, T-90 Bhishma, and the BMP-2 were deployed to face China head-on in Ladakh.
A video of the Ajeya and Bhishma lined up in the Chumar-Demchok area in eastern Ladakh reflects their capabilities to perform at -40 degrees, but apart from the Chinese, these medium battle tanks (MBT) have to face challenges from nature.
- Elevation -
Taking Leh as a reference point, which is at an elevation of approximately 10,000 feet, the following charts show the ascent in altitude from Leh to forward areas like Depsang Plains or Chumar-Demchok.
Chart 1 - According to the chart, the distance between Leh – Depsang Plains is around 200 Km, but the elevation at Depsang is approximately 5,500 metres or 18,000 feet, and it drops to nearly 11,000 feet in Leh.
Chart 2 - The distance between Leh and Chumar-Demchok is 270 Km, with a gradual ascent from 3,200 metres to nearly 5,000 metres.
The September 2020 video showed tanks at nearly 15,000 feet in the Chumar-Demchok region.
- Maneuverability, Performance -
Tracked vehicles with low ground pressure are better suited for rocky, dusty terrain because they distribute their weight over a larger area, which reduces the amount of pressure on one track. It allows better navigation in a region like Ladakh or Sikkim with limited road infrastructure.
At high altitudes during a climb, if heavy tanks are deployed, then due to higher NGP, the pressure will be concentrated on a smaller area that can cause the track to lose traction or cause slippage on uneven surfaces.
India’s Medium Battle Tanks (MBT) in Ladakh were a seal of approval for the forces’ prowess, they can function in freezing temperatures, but due to low air pressure, and lack of Oxygen, the performance of the tanks gets hindered, like in its capability to fire with more precision compared to its efficiency at lower heights.
A light tank with High-Power to weight ratio that can outperform the enemy with tactical maneuvers at higher speed is needed to fill the existing gaps.
During the 1947-48 war with Pakistan, the battle of Zoji La is a testament to the strength of light tanks at high altitudes.
Maj Gen KS Thimayya (Later General) ordered the deployment of Stuart Light Tanks of the 7th Light Cavalry. The enemy was taken by surprise and Zoji La was in Indian control.
- Transportation -
The T-90 and T-72 are either transported via road by being loaded on a truck or trail or by airlifting them through Air Force’s carriers. The C-17 Globemaster III has a carrying capacity of around 78,000 Kg, therefore a limited number of tanks can be transported in a sortie.
India’s Arjun Mk1 or the ‘White Elephant’ is a heavy tank weighing over 63 tons, and therefore its presence was missing during the peak of the conflict. Moving the bulky Arjun either by road or air in Ladakh is a major challenge due to its weight.
Though equipped with accurate, superior firepower with new-age technology to take the enemy in a day and night operation, the obstacles in Ladakh do not make Arjun a great choice.
The infantry, Mechanized Infantry, Armour, and other arms work together in Combined Arms Approach for quick deployment and early fulfillment of the objective.
“Yes, we need light tanks, we need medium tanks, we need anything that provides us the ability to deter the enemy. But it is not as if the same size fits all. We need role-based displacement of equipment, just the way guns and engineers are utilized,” military analyst Neil John said.
The light tank will not replace the Ajeya or the Bhishma but will fill the gaps for a different objective.
Sources:
https://www.orfonline.org/research/light-tanks-a-missing-priority-for-the-indian-army/
https://www.mod.gov.in/sites/default/files/rfi.pdf
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