Military experts and strategic think tanks believe that winning a war ultimately requires a physical ground presence. While drones, missiles, air power and cyber warfare can cause massive damage to military assets and infrastructure, they cannot capture territory, force surrender or establish political control. History consistently shows that long-term military and political success requires ground forces.
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Missiles and drones can destroy targets, but they cannot capture territory. Ground forces supported by armored vehicles remain indispensable for achieving decisive military objectives.
The role of tanks in modern warfare has become a subject of intense debate. Critics argue that the proliferation of drones and precision-guided munitions has diminished their battlefield relevance, while supporters say tanks remain indispensable as mobile armored platforms, capable of providing heavy firepower, breaching enemy defenses and supporting infantry.
Over the decades, tanks have evolved into highly mobile, heavily armed main battle platforms equipped with advanced protection systems, improved sensors and networked battlefield capabilities.
A senior Indian Army officer said that drones can create panic and cause damage, but they cannot achieve the ultimate objective of war.
“To enforce surrender, ground invasion of enemy territory is necessary. This is what India demonstrated during the 1965 and 1971 wars against Pakistan. Tanks remain vital for such operations,” the officer said.
The tanks are also evolving to deal with emerging threats through lightweight design, anti-drone protection, electronic warfare jammers and hard-kill active protection systems capable of intercepting incoming missiles and drones, he said.
Lessons from the Russia-Ukraine war
Russia-Ukraine war Has highlighted both the strengths and weaknesses of tanks. Many battlefield videos show tanks being destroyed by cheap drones, highlighting their vulnerability in an increasingly transparent battlefield dominated by aerial surveillance and precision strikes.
The widespread use of drones has transformed modern warfare. They now perform reconnaissance, anti-infantry and anti-tank roles at a fraction of the cost of conventional anti-tank guided missiles (ATGMs). Many early drones used in conflict were assembled from commercially available components, making them highly cost-effective.
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Although tanks can no longer lead an attack without support, they remain highly effective when used as part of integrated combined-arms operations involving infantry, artillery, air defense, electronic warfare, and drones. In such formations, tanks continue to provide unmatched mobile firepower, operational flexibility and battlefield shock effect.
Recent conflicts have shown that low-cost drones can impose disproportionate costs on technologically superior armies.
During the US–Iran conflict, reports indicated that US Terminal High Altitude Area Defense radar sites in West Asia were targeted by cheap Shaheed-like drones.
Similar trend seen in India Operation Sindoor, When Pakistan reportedly employed swarms of low-radar cross-section drones to saturate Indian airspace, destroy air defense systems and knock out expensive interceptor missiles. Cheap drones costing only a few lakh rupees can force defenders to launch interceptors costing several crores of rupees. Even when intercepted, these drones create an unfavorable economic equation for defenders. Modern warfare is increasingly becoming a battle of mathematics, where defenders may win strategically even if they lose economically.
Zorawar Light Tank
Recognizing the changing character of warfare, India is developing the indigenous Zoravar Light Tank specifically for operations along the Line of Actual Control (LAC).
In June this year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Larsen & Toubro’s Hazira manufacturing facility in Gujarat, where he reviewed the Zoravar Light Tank and other indigenous defense systems.
Developed jointly by the Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO) and L&T Defence, the 25 tonne, air-transportable combat vehicle is designed for rapid deployment in high altitude areas.
The Indian Army is now expected to induct Zoravar between 2028 and 2029. Now retired Army Chief General Upendra Dwivedi had recently said that the issues identified during development and testing were being addressed through regular design refinements. The Army plans to induct 354 Zorawar tanks under the program at an estimated cost of around ₹17,500 crore.
One of the primary reasons for the revised induction timeline is the Army’s demand for increased protection against enemy fire.
Developers face the difficult challenge of improving armor protection while maintaining mobility and optimal power-to-weight ratio. Achieving both objectives simultaneously is technically difficult and has increased the development cycle.
The Zorawar is specifically designed for operations along the LAC, where China’s People’s Liberation Army already deploys Type-15 light tanks. Indian military planners consider this platform important to bridge the operational gap and enable rapid reinforcement of forward positions in mountainous terrain.
India has deployed Russian-origin T-72 and T-90 tanks in Ladakh, but these platforms were originally designed for ground and desert warfare.
The T-72 Ajeya Army has the largest tank fleet, with around 2,400-2,500 tanks, many of which are more than four decades old. The more capable T-90s Bhishma, numbering more than 1,200, form the backbone of India’s armored corps.
India has also inducted 124 Arjun Mk1 tanks, while 118 of the upgraded Mk1A variant are on order. However, Arjun, weighing approximately 67 tonnes, has limited its operational utility due to constraints imposed by bridges, culverts and railway transporters.
Until recently, India had more than 4,000 medium and heavy tanks but not a single light tank. This absence became a major operational concern following the 2020 India–China border crisis.
unique challenge
India faces a unique strategic challenge: preparing simultaneously for a conventional war against Pakistan in the plains and armored operations against China in the high Himalayas.
The Western theater is ideal for conventional armored maneuver. The Northern Theater presents a completely different environment, characterized by extreme altitude, narrow valleys, weak bridges and steep slopes.
At high altitude, tank engines lose significant power due to the thin air, fuel consumption increases, movement becomes difficult and disabling vehicles is extremely challenging. Without a reliable offensive armored capability in the mountains, Indian planners feared continued vulnerability to increasing Chinese military pressure.
The capability gap was identified after the 1987 Sumdorong Chu crisis and again the 2017 Doklam standoff. However, the 2020 Ladakh confrontation hastened the launch of Project Zorawar under the emergency procurement programme. Along with the Zorawar programme, India is working on Project Ranjit, also known as the Future Ready Combat Vehicle (FRCV). The program aims to replace aging T-72 tanks with approximately 1,700–1,800 next-generation main battle tanks over the next decade. Expected to weigh around 55 tonnes, the FRCV will feature a larger than 120 mm gun, advanced explosive reactive armour, underbelly mine protection, integrated anti-drone system, AI-assisted fire control and network-centric connectivity with UAVs and satellites.
The cost of this program is estimated to be between ₹57,000 crore and ₹60,000 crore.
‘Tanks are adapting, not disappearing’
Lieutenant General (retd) Dushyant Singh, director general of the Center for Land Warfare Studies (CLAWS), said no single template applies to every conflict.
“In the India-Pakistan context, territory remains central. Neither side will give up land willingly. Similarly, the Iran-US conflict shows that unless territory is physically captured, victory remains incomplete. Air strikes and missiles are effective for punitive action and destroying military assets, but require boots on the ground to control territory. Despite advances in drones and missiles, legacy platforms like tanks remain relevant,” he said.
He said Russia has managed to seize and hold territory in Ukraine because it has both infantry and armored formations.
According to him, tanks now require dedicated anti-drone protection and integrated air defense support. Obstacles such as canals and layered defensive lines also complicated armored operations.
Singh stressed that future wars will depend on integrated multi-domain operations involving the Army, Air Force and Navy supported by cyber warfare, economic measures and sea power.
He said military history demonstrates a continuous cycle of technological innovation and countermeasures.
Singh said, “Whenever a weapon system appears to be dominant, countermeasures eventually emerge. Tanks will continue to adapt through technological innovation and remain relevant.”
The role has changed, it is not over.
Globally, tanks no longer dominate battlefields the way they did between World War II and the end of the Cold War. Inexpensive drones have significantly reduced their ability to operate independently. Yet they have not become obsolete.
India is introducing an entirely new class of tanks as its major armored challenge lies not on drone-saturated plains but in the high Himalayas, where altitude, mobility and transportability determine operational success.
ZORAVAR is designed to address a specific Indian strategic requirement that many Western armies do not face. The tank is no longer the undisputed king of the battlefield. But it is even more permanent: an essential component of combined-arms warfare.
As the battlefield is increasingly dominated by drones, guided missiles, and precision weapons capable of destroying multi-million dollar armored vehicles within seconds, tanks offer a capability that no drone can replicate: the ability to physically occupy the ground, occupying the ground, and moving forward. Ultimately, wars are won not only by destroying the enemy but also by controlling territory. And for that, boots on the ground supported by tanks remain indispensable.
saurbh.trivedi@thehindu.co.in
Edited by Rohit Panikar
