Скачать или смотреть Zorawar vs Stingray: Why Light Tanks Still Matter in a Heavy Tank World

Today I want to talk about a class of armored vehicles that many people think is already “dead” in the age of 60–70 ton main battle tanks: light tanks.
At first glance, “light” sounds like “weaker.”
But on real battlefields – especially high-altitude mountain fronts, narrow roads, low-capacity bridges, and areas where you must move fast – light tanks are not toys at all.
They are purpose-built tools for places where big MBTs simply can’t go.
In this video, I compare two very different examples:
On one side, you have India’s Zorawar Light Tank – a brand-new platform developed by DRDO together with Larsen & Toubro.
It’s a roughly 25-ton vehicle with a high-pressure 105 mm gun in a Cockerill 3105 turret, designed to be moved by air, rail, and road into some of the harshest terrain on the India–China frontier.
It’s still in the prototype / trial phase, but Indian media talk about a program of around 354 vehicles with a budget in the ballpark of 16,000–17,500 crore rupees – roughly 59–65 billion Thai baht when you do a very rough conversion including development.
Zorawar is packed with modern tech: hunter-killer sights, all-round cameras, a digital fire-control system, options for gun-launched ATGMs, and room for active protection systems in the future.
In short, it’s India’s answer to the question:
“How do we put serious firepower on top of a 4,000-meter mountain?”
On the other side, you have Thailand’s Stingray Light Tank.
Designed in the United States by Cadillac Gage, but never adopted by the US Army, Stingray ended up with exactly one real customer: the Royal Thai Army.
Thailand bought 106 vehicles in the late 1980s.
Each weighs about 22.6 tons, uses a 535 hp diesel engine and can reach around 70 km/h on roads, with a 105 mm L7-family NATO gun on top.
The full Stingray package cost around 150 million USD for all 106 tanks.
If you convert that at today’s exchange rate just to get a sense of scale, that’s roughly 5.5 billion Thai baht, or about 50+ million baht per tank as a back-of-the-envelope comparison – not adjusted for inflation, but enough to show the order of magnitude.
In the video, we walk through:
• How Zorawar and Stingray differ in weight, firepower, mobility and intended battlefield roles
• Why India felt it had to invest in a new light tank even though it already operates T-72s, T-90s and the Arjun MBT
• What Thailand actually gained from being the only country to field Stingray, and how that decision matched Thailand’s geography and infrastructure
• And what kind of light tank concept might make sense if Thailand ever decided to launch a “new-generation light tank” project in the future
At the end, I also answer three quick questions people often ask:
1. Does Zorawar have an export version yet?
→ As of now, no. It’s still a prototype under trials. But under the “Make in India + Defence Export” policy, India clearly intends to push it to export markets once it’s mature.
2. Were Thailand’s Stingrays second-hand tanks?
→ No. Thailand’s Stingrays were brand-new, built at the Cadillac Gage factory specifically for Thailand. The US never operated this model.
3. Does the Modi government really care about ToT (Transfer of Technology)?
→ Yes. Indian procurement strongly favors deals with technology transfer, local production or assembly inside India, especially for major systems like artillery, helicopters, aircraft and ground-based defence.
This video is part of my “365 Days to Build Your Identity” project, where I post a new defence / military / strategy video every single day.
If you enjoy concept-driven comparisons like this –
between platforms Thailand already operates and systems used by bigger powers like India –
please consider liking the video, sharing it, and subscribing to the channel.
Your comments and ideas are what help me choose the next topics and angles for upcoming videos.
Thanks for watching, and see you in the next one.
Credit B-Roll from War Thunder Official Channel
• Zorawar Light tank unveiled - Defence India Network
• First phase of developmental field firing trails of Light Tank zorawar successfully conducted. - DRDO INDIA
• PM Modi visits India Pavilion at Defence Expo 2022 in Gandhinagar, Gujarat - Narendra Modi
• Vande Mataram 🇮🇳 - ADGPI-INDIAN ARMY