Indian Army got a new Chief of the Army Staff (COAS) with General Upendra Dwivedi taking over as the 30th Chief of the Army Staff on June 30, 2024. SP Guide Publications, congratulate General Dwivedi on his appointment and wish him all the success in his new role!

General Dwivedi takes over as the COAS, at a time when the global geo-strategic environment remains dynamic, with the challenges in the security domain becoming more pronounced due to technological advancements and ever-changing character of modern warfare. The General Officer has a deep understanding of modern and emerging technologies in the security domain, and possesses a thoughtful approach of harnessing and integrating cutting edge technologies into military systems to enhance operational effectiveness. His impetus would be to augment infusion of critical technologies by leveraging the nation’s vibrant, capable and productive technology eco-system. Under his leadership, the Indian Army seems poised for glorious days ahead!

In an ‘Exclusive’, SP Guide’s Manish Jha travelled to Bhutan for an interaction with the Prime Minister of Bhutan over a range of issues which further reaffirm Bhutan’s historic bilateral relations with India. In his exclusive interview to Manish Kumar Jha in Thimphu, Tshering Tobgay, Prime Minister of Bhutan talks about various issues and the roadmap for Bhutan, embracing new, and advanced technologies for emerging Bhutan.

This issue of the SP’s Land Forces focuses on the development and modernisation of “Armoured” forces! Technological enhancements of war-fighting machines are redefining the roles that they will play in the future. Our lead story by Rohit Goel is the role Main Battle Tanks (MBTs) will play in the Future Battlefield that will be transformed by the rise of the Man-Machine alliance as Artificial Intelligence enhances the capabilities of MBT crews by improving situational awareness, automating routine tasks, and facilitating faster decision-making.

Another area of Armour modernisation is the Indian Army’s plans to augment its armoured mobility through a two-pronged approach, by inducting Stryker Infantry Combat Vehicles (ICVs) co-developed with the US under ‘Make in India’, and by using indigenously designed and developed ICVs by the DRDO in collaboration with indigenous private industry. Lt General P.C. Katoch (Retd) reports on these developments.

In light of the face-off with the Chinese in East Ladakh, the requirement for a ‘Light Tank’ was being severely felt by the Indian Army. Recently, DRDO and L&T announced the advanced stage of trials of the Indigenous Light Tank Zorawar. The unfolding of Light Tank Zorawar is certainly a milestone for indigenous military technology collaboration of DRDO with a domestic private sector manufacturer. Manish Jha brings us details on the development of this light tank that is now in the final stage and will prove some of the complex demonstration and firepower at high altitude areas.

All this and with a lot more. Happy Reading!!