By admin 
In a major step in defence cooperation between India and the US, the Indian Army is soon going to receive Stryker Infantry Combat Vehicles courtesy of US President Donald Trump. The decision was finalised in a meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Donald Trump on Thursday. If reports are to be believed, getting the Stryker will greatly help the Indian Army in fighting the Chinese army in Ladakh.
The Stryker Infantry Combat Vehicle is a light and powerful combat vehicle that can prove to be very effective in fighting in difficult terrain. Earlier, this vehicle had also demonstrated its capabilities in the Ukraine war, where it performed effectively in snowy and mountainous terrain.
Why does India need light combat vehicles?
In view of the challenge posed by the Chinese army in the Ladakh region, the Indian Army had already felt the need for light tanks. This need was further reinforced after the martyrdom of 20 Indian soldiers in the violent clash in the Galwan Valley in 2020. At that time, the Indian Army had to rely on the old Russian BMP-2 infantry fighting vehicle to counter the Chinese light tank ZTQ-15.
Although the Indian Army has tanks like Arjun, T-90 (Bhishma) and T-72 (Ajay), they are not considered effective in the mountainous terrain of Ladakh due to their heavy weight. In such a situation, the American Stryker vehicle can prove to be a major strategic advantage for the Indian Army.
Stryker Strength
The Stryker vehicle is armed with a 105mm M-68 cannon, which has defeated Russian T-72 tanks several times in the Ukraine war. In addition, it is equipped with modern weapons such as a 50mm M2 Browning heavy machine gun, MK-19 grenade launcher and M-240 medium machine gun, which are considered very effective for warfare in mountainous terrain.
Stryker to be built in India
The US has so far supplied the Stryker to a few countries, including Ukraine, but this vehicle will be built in India for the first time outside North America. General Dynamics Land Systems, a joint venture between the US and Canada, is now set to build the vehicle in India.
It is worth noting that India and the US had held talks on the Stryker nearly 20 years ago, but no agreement could be reached on technology transfer at that time. This time, the Trump administration has given special exemption to India in this matter.
India is developing light tanks
Under Prime Minister Modi’s self-reliant India campaign, the Indian Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and L&T are jointly developing the indigenous light tank Zorawar. This tank has been tested many times and its initial results have been satisfactory. Apart from Ladakh, track trials of Zorawar have also been conducted in Hazira, Gujarat with the help of L&T Heavy Engineering. In such a situation, in the coming time, along with indigenous light tanks, India will also get advanced combat vehicles like Stryker from the US, which will greatly increase the strength of the Indian Army.
Gill Bikram Singh