'Conqueror Of Ladakh' Zorawar Is Back!

You weekend read is here!

Dear Reader,

"Conqueror of Ladakh" is back. Centuries back it was the Dogra Rajput general Zorawar Singh, while today it is India's Zorawar light tank developed by DRDO.

The great general Zorawar Singh Dogra died fighting the Chinese and Tibetans. He is supposed to have declared on the battlefield, "Either the Tibetans will take my head and neck, or I shall take it myself!"

Turns out he's still alive and roaring. This weekend magazine's cover story features India's Zorawar light tank which was unveiled on 6 July. It is developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and the private firm Larsen & Toubro (L&T).

The tank designed to operate primarily in the high-altitude areas of eastern Ladakh and Sikkim, on the China border, was developed in a record time of 19 months.

That's a first for the DRDO! And a great leap for India's ambitions of Atmanirbharta.

• But then we also have challenges. Picking American Stryker over India made wheeled armoured vehicle (WhAP) is a setback to Atmanirbharta in defence.

• And in all the talk about defence indigenisation and Atmanirbharta, the Indian Army seems to have finally embraced 'Iterative Development'. Wonder what exactly is that?

Read about all these and more in today's weekend magazine. These weekenders are carefully curated to bring the best from the week to you.

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Have a great weekend,

Anmol N Jain