New Delhi, Sep 13 (IANS): India's highly-versatile light tank 'Zorawar', which is also a symbol of the country's growing defence indigenous capability, on Friday successfully cleared its preliminary automotive and field firing trials, an official statement said.

The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) held the field trials of Zorawar, capable of deployment in high-altitude areas in the desert terrain, and it demonstrated exceptional performance, efficiently meeting all the intended objectives, the Defence Ministry statement said.

In the initial phase, the tank’s firing performance was rigorously evaluated and it achieved the required accuracy on designated targets, it added.

Zorawar has been successfully developed by the Combat Vehicles Research & Development Establishment (CVRDE), under the DRDO, in collaboration with Larsen & Toubro Ltd. Numerous Indian industries, including Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs), contributed to the development of its various sub-systems.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh lauded the DRDO, the Indian Army, and all associated industry partners for the successful trials of the Indian Light Tank. He described the achievement as a significant milestone towards India's goal of self-reliance in critical defence systems and technologies.

DRDO Chairman and Secretary, Department of Defence R&D Dr Samir V. Kamat also extended his congratulations to the entire team involved in the project.