India's indigenously developed light tank, for use in Ladakh and parts of Sikkim, will be "rolled out" in April. The much-awaited 25-tonne tank, designed and fabricated by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and Larsen and Toubro, is ready apart from some minor details and will undergo technical trials. Then, it will be offered to the Army for user trials by the end of this year.
The light tank ( a Rs 250 crore project) will naturally compete with other models to find a place in the Indian Army. While the request for information of April 22, 2021, mentions 350 tanks, sources said that the initial demand is for, at least, 200. shortly. The Army has been wanting a light tank for the Himalayan regions, particularly in the plateaus. The tanks the Indian army has are heavier-- the Russian T-72 is about 42 tonnes, the T-90, is about 4-5 tonnes heavier and the indigenous Arjun is about 50 tonnes. While tanks have been placed there, whenever necessary, the requirement was of a light tank that could move quickly.