India’s Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has revealed a domestically developed armored vehicle aimed at replacing the Indian Army’s legacy BMP-2 infantry fighting vehicles of Soviet origin.
Engineered by the Vehicles Research & Development Establishment, the Advanced Armoured Platform comes in both tracked and wheeled versions. It currently incorporates around 65% indigenous components, with plans to scale this up to 90%.
The vehicle is being manufactured in partnership with Bharat Forge Limited and Tata Advanced Systems Limited. It features a locally developed 30mm crewless turret armed with a 7.62mm coaxial machine gun and anti-tank guided missile systems.
With a powerful engine and automatic transmission, the platform ensures high mobility and an improved power-to-weight ratio, while offering STANAG Level 4–5 modular protection against ballistic and blast threats.
Its amphibious performance can be further boosted by integrating hydrojet propulsion.
The Futuristic Infantry Combat Vehicle (FICV) initiative aims to phase out BMP-2 vehicles that entered service in the 1980s. Apart from Bharat Forge and Tata, other contenders include Larsen & Toubro, Mahindra Defence Systems, and Armoured Vehicles Nigam Limited.
While the 2021 RFI indicated a need for 1,750 units, overall demand may rise beyond 2,000 and could potentially exceed 3,500 units when factoring in multiple variants and reserve requirements.
