According to Snhesh Alex Philip in ThePrint, India sets eyes on Russian Sprut-SDM1 light tanks to counter China in the mountainous terrain along the Line of Actual Control (LAC), and will also take part in the trials of the system starting late summer, as the tank is still under development. A figure of 350 light tanks to purchase has been mentioned.
According to sources in the security and defence establishment, India is keen on the 18-tonne Sprut-SDM1 because it shares the gun of the T-90M tank (in service with the Indian army) and fires the same kind of ammunition. India is currently operating T-90 and T-72 tanks, which are also Russian-origin. This will mean logistics and maintenance systems of the Sprut tanks will not have to be drastically different for the Armoured Corps.
Russia’s approval to include India in the trials of the light tanks came after Defence Minister Rajnath Singh spoke about India’s need for light tanks during his visit to Russia in August 2020. As reported by ThePrint then, Russia had offered India the light Sprut-SDM1 tanks during Singh’s visit. The move came as India had deployed the T-90 tanks, weighing about 46 tonnes, in Ladakh during the prolonged standoff with China. Conversely, China had deployed its new lightweight tanks, Type 15, besides other armoured elements.