MoD Inks Contract With AVNL For 693 Armament Upgrades of BMP2

The Ministry of Defence, on March 13, 2024, signed a contract with Armoured Vehicles Nigam Limited (AVNL) for the procurement of 693 Armament Upgrades of Infantry Combat Vehicle BMP2 to BMP2M. 

MoD Inks Contract With AVNL For 693 Armament Upgrades of BMP2

The Ministry of Defence, on March 13, 2024, signed a contract with Armoured Vehicles Nigam Limited (AVNL) for the procurement of 693 Armament Upgrades of Infantry Combat Vehicle BMP2 to BMP2M. This upgrade includes Night Enablement, Gunner Main Sight, Commander Panoramic Sight and Fire Control System with Automatic Target Tracker under Buy {Indian-Indigenously Designed Developed and Manufactured} Category.

The AVNL has developed an indigenised solution for providing existing BMP 2/2K with Night Fighting Capabilities and FCS based on the integration of DRDO and Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL), Chennai-developed sight and FCS. The AVNL will produce the armament upgrades with equipment and sub-systems sourced from indigenous manufacturers. This will further strengthen the indigenous defence manufacturing ecosystem and accrue the benefits of the increasing self-reliance in this field.

Infantry Combat Vehicle BMP2

The BMP-2 is an amphibious infantry fighting vehicle introduced in the 1980s in the Soviet Union, following on from the BMP-1 of the 1960s.

Type: Infantry fighting vehicle

Place of origin: Soviet Union

Mass: 14.3 tonnes

Power/weight: 21 hp/tonne

Operational range: 600 km (370 mi)

Maximum speed: 65 km/h (40 mph) (road)

45 km/h (28 mph) (off-road)

7 km/h (4.3 mph) (water)

Armoured Vehicles Nigam Limited

Armoured Vehicles Nigam Limited is an Indian state-owned defence company, headquartered in Avadi, Chennai, India established in 2021 as part of the restructuring and corporatisation of the Ordnance Factory Board into seven different Public Sector Undertakings. AVANI primarily manufactures Armoured fighting vehicles, Main battle tanks and their engines for the use of the Indian Armed Forces and foreign militaries. Products of AVANI include Arjun, T-90, BMP-2 Sarath, Vijayanta, Kartik BLT, M-46 Catapult and T-72 Ajeya battle tanks and stallion trucks.

Company type: Public sector undertakings in India

Predecessor  : Ordnance Factory Board

Founded: 1 October 2021; 2 years ago

Headquarters: Heavy Vehicles Factory, Avadi, Chennai