Armour vs altitude: India’s light tank dilemma along China border

In its base configuration, the Zorawar weighs some 25 tonnes – light enough to be flown all the way to the Line of Actual Control – but a push to make it strong enough to withstand high-calibre autocannon fire could add an extra seven tonnes to that loadout.

During previous confrontations, India airlifted its older, Russian-origin T-72s and T-90s, which weigh between 45 and 50 tonnes each, to the border territory of Ladakh, where they have faced off against China’s lighter Type 15, weighing 33–36 tonnes.