Indian Army’s hunt for Light Battle Tank: Options & Choices

 Indian Army’s hunt for Light Battle Tank: Options & Choices

By: Kartikeya Semwal

With the ever increasing threat of a short-term large scale war that India may have to fight in near future with China, a need has been felt by the Indian Army of an LBT (Light Battle Tank) that can be easily transferred by road, is light by weight, can move swiftly in rough mountainous terrains and carries enough fire power to push back enemies advancing troops. Not just that, it will also be able to launch counter-offensive strikes and support troops in tank vs tank warfare.

Unlike China that has 3rd generation Type-15 tank that weighs 36 tonne with fully loaded armour, Indian Army has Russian made T-72 tanks but they are 1st generation tanks & lack in firepower, armour protection & can’t fire APFSDS (Armour Piercing Fin Stabilized Discarding Sabots) shells as of now. Keeping the month long standoff between armies of China & India in mind with PLA troops not moving back to old positions from certain parts of the Ladakh region, India needs a light battle tank which can be used quickly to counter & stop China’s Type-15 LBTs. Something that is less than 38 tonnes, can climb mountainous terrains quickly and fire APFSD shells. 

Type 15 tank of China

It should be noted that China’s Type-15 can fire at will & its ability to fire the APFSDS shells gives it an edge over Indian T-72 tanks that are heavier at 41 tonnes and slower than Type-15. The APFSDS shells can penetrate up to 500mm or 20 inches of armoured steel and can damage any other tank including T-90S MBT (Main Battle Tank). In order to check Chinese aggression & use of Type-15, Indian Army needs a similar much better LBT for which it has recently started looking for in the international market.

APFSDS shells

Now there are limited types of LBTs that are made only by a handful of countries that are mountain-friendly, light by weight and have all the qualities of a modern day MBT including a minesweeper, strong protected armour, ability to traverse and climb through mountainous terrain and fire APFSDS shells to destroy enemy’s tank & armoured division formations. Let’s discuss what’s on the offer and which ones can be chosen by the Indian Army-

Russia has offered India its 18-tonne Sprut SDM1 lightweight tanks for possible procurement. DRDO is also working in partnership with private company Larsen & Toubro for converting the K9 ‘Vajra’ 155 mm self-propelled howitzer into a 35-tonne light battle tank. 

Sprut SDM1 tank of Russia

According to the planned DRDO design, the K9’s 155/52 mm howitzer will be replaced by a modular turret and 105 mm gun made by Belgian firm John Cockerel Defence SA, while the chassis of K9 Vajra will be retained. The 105 mm Belgian gun will be capable of firing at 42˚ elevation, which would be helpful in a mountain warfare scenario. 

K9 Vajra of Indian Army firing APFSDS shell

Also on the offer is the concept based Tata Kestrel is a 25 tonne APC (Armoured Personnel Carrier) that can be modified into an LBT (Light Battle Tank) by replacing its 30 mm automatic cannon with a 105 mm M68A-1E4 rifled cannon & an autoloader from Royal Ordnance L7 of United Kingdom. This 2 items will convert Tata Kestrel into a light battle tank of around 28 tonne. 

Tata Kestrel based Gun System

Going by weight & manoeuvrability, Tata Kestrel is best suited for Indian Army’s requirement for mountain warfare. 200-300 of such LBTs backed by K9 Vajra artillery will be good enough to take out China’s Type-15 tanks & their artillery units. 

 





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