NEW DELHI: From a light battle tank to high-energy laser systems, PM Narendra Modi had a close look at India’s futuristic weapons and defence systems when he visited the Armed Systems Complex of Larsen & Toubro (L&T) in Surat on Friday. Among various armoured vehicles, what drew his special attention was ‘Zorawar’, India’s first indigenous, highly agile, light battle tank developed by DRDO and L&T to dominate mountainous terrains.It took DRDO just 24 months to develop a prototype of the light tank in collaboration with L&T after getting a sanction from the government. Weighing around 25 tonnes, Zorawar is much lighter than India’s main battle tank Arjun Mk-1 (58.5 tonnes) and T90 (46.5 tonnes). Due to its light weight, exceptional mobility and rapid strike capability, it has been designed for the Ladakh region and is meant to be deployed along the China borders once inducted.Zorawar, which has successfully completed initial developmental trials and is undergoing intensive user trials with the Army, is likely to be inducted by 2029. The Indian Army has placed an initial order for 59 units, with a total requirement of 354 tanks, or 295 additional light tanks.The tank is named after Gen Zorawar Singh, a legendary 19th-century military commander who served under Raja Gulab Singh of Jammu and is widely celebrated by historians as the ‘conqueror of Ladakh and Tibet’. The tank can cross rivers using water-jet propulsion, operate effectively in high-altitude terrain and fire advanced missiles with precision. It has a 105-mm calibre gun turret and an auto-loader with a remote-controlled 7.62-mm machine gun, and can fire gun-tube-launched anti-tank guided missiles.The Hazira facility, once a heavy engineering site, showcased other futuristic technologies such as the TEJASTRA High Energy Laser System, an indigenous 1,500-horsepower tank engine and transmission, and a 30-mm unmanned turret designed for the Future Infantry Combat Vehicle (FICV).PM Modi was also presented with a scale model of a submarine at the L&T facility on Friday that is believed to be the first image of India’s own conventional submarine model to be indigenously developed under Project 76. Project 76 is an initiative by the defence ministry to design and build a fleet of next-generation, diesel-electric attack submarines for the Indian Navy. Led by DRDO, this multi-billion-dollar effort focuses on maximising the use of domestic technology to reduce reliance on foreign suppliers.After the visit to the facility, PM Modi posted on X on Friday: “This afternoon, I went to the L&T complex at Hazira. Witnessed some of their pioneering innovations across different sectors. The role played by L&T in furthering self-reliance in the defence sector is commendable.”On the defence exhibition, he posted, “I had the opportunity to participate in an exhibition held in Hazira, Gujarat, where I witnessed the country’s growing capabilities in the defence sector under the ‘Make in India‘ initiative. This exhibition is an excellent example of our efforts to promote indigenous production in the defence sector.”Also on display were the K9 Vajra-T self-propelled 155-mm artillery system, manufactured by L&T in collaboration with South Korea and already deployed in eastern Ladakh, and the L-70 mm gun platform, which played a crucial role in shooting down drones during Op Sindoor.