Zorawar: Light tank for Indian army

[Ashwin]

When it was just one wing of the govt speaking to another, the incompetence was simpler to pin on DRDO ( "always late" ) or PSUs ( "lazy/shoddy workmanship "). Seldom the shifting goalposts of the services or the timely MoQ clearances/funds by MoD.

This incompetence was already identified by various CAG reports and even DM manohar parrikar.

And here we are, a tank designed to QR in 19 months and ready to be manufactured, yet barely given an order of 18. I suspect that too, only because L&T probably sent signals they were looking to pull the plug or sue... after all this is not a PSU running a charity here.

Not true, a minimum order was always assured under development route (secretary mentions that in the clip). Then only L&T committed to the development.

Now, L&T failed to quality under Make 1 route. Thus TASL and Mahindra will competing for the remaining 300 or so.

End of the day, we will have 3-4 private companies who can build any kind of armoured vehicles. Privatisation fixed the incentive part as they wont work without reasonable visibility towards upside and risk sharing. Overall policy changes are a total win for the industry as a whole and a decimation of OFB monopoly.

 

[Ankit Kumar]

https://twitter.com/x/status/2104557461357449670

 

[jmaxwell_]

Not true, a minimum order was always assured under development route (secretary mentions that in the clip). Then only L&T committed to the development.

I am only referring to the DND route - the whole splitting of the orders into multiple projects with separate DND route and two separate designs for the M1 route is itself another clusterf*ck. You can't rush building the MIC after decades of neglect by breaking a project into multiple barely-getting-beak-wet orders. The right path is giving the light tank project to leading company X, the arty project to Y, the IFV to Z and once they mature in their own domains, then cross-pollinate.

For a MoQ of 59 tanks, I would love to look at the L&T financials to see how much above the break even point they even are after all the CapEx. Now even that isn't a complete production run and will be split into two batches with who knows how much additional CapEx...

 

[jmaxwell_]

Generally Anurag is very level headed, but here he comes across very defensive in this interview. Here are a few tell tale signs for me that Anurag knows he is defending the indefensible:

• He is asked not once, but twice -- "Why would the Stanag protection level need to be changed?". Notice both times he does not answer the question.
• His response is more-or-less that it is difficult to change QRs -- which begs the question why did it need to be changed when it was designed to go up against a tank that was leaked in Chinese online forums back in 2010?
• He says it took the Chinese T15 tank 8 years -- (note: it was being discussed in chinese online forums in 2010 and started mass production in 2016) as excuse that it is okay for Indian light tank design to take long. NO! After Galwan, did India not have intelligence on even mass produced chinese tanks? And the gall: first complain that imports are needed because India takes too long, and now complain that India does it too fast!!
• This again goes back to who gave the approval to develop a 750hp, 25t tank when you want it to go up against a 1000hp, 33t tank? Only to later decide you do want Stanag 6 and that will cause it go up to 1000hp, 33t? It is exactly this INDECISIVENESS that will be death knell for Indian MIC.
• Even Sandeep is confused about DND route and M1 route that Anurag has to keep correcting... and again no answer to why so many different designs need to be made. This again speaks to INDECISIVENESS on backing a design and production partner (see visible confusion on Sandeep's face)
• There is no explanation given to how India plans to maintain not one, but as of now at least THREE logistics chains, that too at 15000ft! And how long does India take to test even one design? Does anyone believe that THREE designs will be tested in the next 1-2 years? And when these tanks are due for MLU, what is the plan?
• Comments are turned off which is not normal for this channel -- why? Afraid you will be taken to task?

Let me tell you what I see:
No one in this whole circus has the backbone to fully back a single horse. This way, when the whole thing goes belly up, which eventually it will, everyone can rightly point fingers at one another and no one can be held accountable. What a mess.

IN A MONOPSONY YOU NEED CRITICAL MASS!

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