Thread by @KesariDhwaj

[Indian Army - Light Tank]
- Indian light tank requirement is NOT in response to the Chinese deployment of light tank in Tibet.
- It springs from our need in plains of Punjab, Rajasthan, Eastern Ladakh and parts of North-East.
- IA first issued RFI for LT in 2009 +
#lightank

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- 200 Wheeled and only 100 tracked light tanks.
- Weight: 22 tons
- Height and width: 2.8 x 7.8 meters
- Amphibious capability
- Main role: Battlefield reconnaissance and surveillance
- ATGM capability
- All bells & whistles to survive modern battlefield and do its role.
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Compared to this, Chinese light tank looks similar in role to recent US Mobile Protected Firepower (MPF) (1st pic).
- Main role of MPF, is to assist infantry in achieving its objectives.
- Read the excerpt below on US Army's opinion of MPF

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- Within US Army, 14 MPF will be issued to each Infantry Brigade Combat Team (IBCT).
- It is mobile firepower for the US infantry.
- Same appears the case of the Chinese light tank.
- Our requirement is Recce & Surveillance which platforms like these fulfil in other armies.

- But we want a 'light tank' which many of the above shown platforms are not.
- And it has to be amphibious; this requirement comes from need to ford canals on western border.
- But, it places limitation in terms of weight as higher weight vehicles cannot have this capability.
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- Also, will army now have same specs for light tanks for high altitude area where amphibious property might not be of importance?
- Because lighter the system, lower will be all around protection. And modern anti-tank weapons with infantry are very lethal.
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- Modern light tanks are increasingly based on chassis developed for Infantry Fighting Vehicles (IFV).
- And after witnessing what last gen IFVs faced in Iraq/AFG, modern IFV are heavier with higher protection. Plus, additional protection modules which further increase weight
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- Since we're not denovo developing a light tank, we will likely end-up buying a light tank version of a modern IFV.
- Some modern IFVs are shown below -

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Domestic Solution:
- TATA Kestrel is a 6x6 platform from TATA stable.
- It is amphibious.
- It can be fitted with required turret & sub-systems.
- Pic 1: With BMP-2 turret
- Pic 2: With Norwegian Kongsberg MCT-30-R remotely controlled turret
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- In my opinion, IA should be looking at Kestrel for Wheeled Light Tank for recce & surveillance role in western theater.
- And explore developing/inducting a dedicated light tank, as an infantry support weapon, for Eastern Ladakh and north Sikkim.

Few more points -
- Any platform will try to balance between firepower, mobility and protection.
- As weight is an imp criteria for mountainous terrain, light tank will have to be in 30 tons range.
- Which means a compromise in protection.
- Also, since it is expected to +

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provide infantry with firepower over-match, main gun will have to more than 30/35/40 mm canons we see on modern IFVs.
- But can't be 120mm as that will put weight penalty.
- So, 105mm is the ideal caliber for a light tank.
- And since engines suffer from de-rating in +

+ higher altitudes due to lack of oxygen, engine with high power-to-weight ratio is needed
- So that, even after de-rating, you've good P/W ratio
- As we can see, a genuine light tank is quite different from a platform required for recce & surveillance with amphibious capability.

Russian New Gen Mechanized Platforms -
- If you observe new Russian mechanized platforms, they're all on heavy side.
- Russians have moved on from BMP-2/3 format and now focus on protection and new electro-optics.
- Weight varies from 25 tons to 40+ tons!
Images below:

- Indian wheeled 'light tank' for recce and surveillance needs to be similar to K-17 IFV, preferably with 105mm main gun.
- If offers good protection, and is amphibious for its weight class.
- I'm sure Kestrel can evolve into having similar capabilities.

On the amphibious capability req for light tank, I had done a detailed analysis on Pakistan's use of canals as defensive features.
PART_01:
vatsrohit.blogspot.com/2012/08/pakist…

Pakistan's use of canals as defensive feature -
PART_02:
vatsrohit.blogspot.com/2012/08/canal-…

And this is the kind of capability, demonstrated by BMP-2, that IA possibly wants in the Light Tank. IA practices and dedicates considerable resources for canal crossing operations which they'll encounter on the Pakistan side.

Here's video of BMP-2 undertaking amphibious operations:

- Map of canal system in Pakistan and how they act as defensive feature.
- Our armor offensive will have to either ford these canals using bridging eqp or secure existing bridges over them.
-This slows down offensive & give opportunity to Pakistan to interfere with our ops.