Technology ISSN : 0971-4413 BULLETIN OF DEFENCE RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT ORGANISATION
Vol. 17 No. 4 August 2009
Technologies for Light Armoured Tracked Vehicles
T
echnology and its applications has always been a high priority of the Defence Forces. As scientific discoveries and technological advances grew, so do their military applications. Though technological advancements have forced the military world over to replace or upgrade systems dependent on fast moving technology (weapons, sensors and communication equipment) more frequently than in the past, system platforms are likely to retain their operational edge for longer because the technologies on which they depend (materials, structures and propulsion) will probably advance less rapidly, and because they will be designed to accommodate updates. Combat vehicles are an important item of any Defence inventory. Their applications have always been integral for a wide range of operations from high-intensity combat to peacekeeping. There is an upward trend to develop affordable armoured combat vehicles that provide a high level of crew survivability, and are relatively lightweight for strategic mobility. This pressure is prompting the application of concurrent advances of emerging technologies to enable medium weight vehicles to operate effectively in roles ranging from high intensity conflicts to operations other than war. Applying these
new technologies to combat vehicle systems concurrently and synergistically can make performance predictions difficult and acquisitions risky. However, if accelerated technology developments are coupled with virtual and constructive simulation for human performance and battlefield effectiveness predictions, acquisition programme risk can be substantially reduced. Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) is engaged in design and development of light tracked vehicles to meet the operational requirements of Indian Army. The products developed by DRDO like Armoured Engineer Recce Vehicle (AERV), Armoured Amphibious Dozer (AAD), and modified scooping device developed for NBC Recce Vehicles are remarkable achievements and have been productionised under Limited Series Production (LSP) for introduction into the Service. To fill the technological gap of new generation Infantry Combat Vehicle (ICV) companion to MBT, DRDO has also developed an indigenous ICV, called Abhay. Abhay is a blend of state-of-the-art technologies with impressive fire power, excellent mobility, and high degree of protection.