India has had very good experiences with light tanks. They were part of some of our greatest victories. In October 1948, light Stuart tanks were taken all the way up to Zoji la at an altitude of 11,400ft and helped capture the supposedly impregnable pass. In 1962, the airlifting of six AMX 13 light tanks into Chushul helped bolster the defences of the sector and prevented the fall of that vital airfield. And in 1971, the light, amphibious PT-76s overcame swampy, riverine terrain and were in the forefront of the dash towards Dhaka.

Unfortunately, after the last PT-76 rode off into the sunset, no light tank has appeared on the scene. The case for a light tank was repeatedly felt for the Eastern and the Northern frontiers but given the glacial pace of decision-making, the procurement process remained stalled for over three decades. It is only now that the armour threat in Ladakh has increased the frantic search for a light tank.

The search for a light tank to replace the venerable PT-76 started in the late Eighties when different options—including the IKV-91 of Sweden—were evaluated, only to be discarded due to cost constraints. The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) did develop a prototype based on the chassis of a BMP-II with a 105mm tank gun fitted on a French GIAT TS-90 turret. Coupled with computerised fire control systems and an uprated engine, it performed well in firing and mobility trials, and would have provided a viable solution, had the project not been shelved in the mid-Nineties.

The interest in light tanks resurfaced in 2009 when two light armoured brigades were sanctioned for the high-altitude areas of Ladakh and Arunachal Pradesh. While some of the light tanks in service across the world were considered, it was eventually decided to go in with existing equipment and continue with the medium T-72s. The brigades were eventually based on BMP-IIs and T-72s, which though formidable, are not designed for operations in mountainous terrain. At 48 tons and a large body, manoeuvrability of T-72s in those heights is restricted. The oxygen-depleted atmosphere also affects engine efficiency which further impinges easy movement. Complementing the T-72s are the excellent infantry combat vehicles, the BMP-IIs, which with a weight of 14 tons and greatly enhanced mobility can perform more effectively in the difficult terrain.