Invention and Engineering

Abhay IFV

Abhay (Sanskrit: अभय, "Fearless") was an infantry combat vehicle created under a tech-demonstration program started in India by the Defence Research and Development Organisation or DRDO. As its first IFV project, Abhay was designed to provide experience in the construction of AFV components to DRDO, serve as a replacement to India's vast BMP fleet used in its Mechanised Infantry Regiments (changed later on), and serve as a test bed for weapons and systems to be used on future vehicles, as well as to be a reference for the designs of future vehicles. A majority of the systems on the vehicle were indigenously (locally) developed as projected, excluding 3 out of 4 weapons systems and the power pack. The program began in the mid-1990s. By 2003, the development of the first Mild Steel prototype was completed and the development of the first armoured prototype was in progress. By 2004, various stages of the vehicle were in the advanced stages of development. By 2005, the first prototype was integrated and tested with indigenous components and the second one was either completed or undergoing testing. By 2008, the Abhay program was officially declared successfully completed by DRDO in the Ministry of Defence Annual Report of 2007–2008. Allegedly, Mr. M Natarajan, at the time recently appointed Director General of DRDO, stated about the Abhay in 2004: "The Abhay is under development. We see it as the future infantry combat vehicle for the Army. It will be a replacement for the Russian made BMPs that the Army has. It should be ready in two years." This was not clarified later on for unknown reasons and the BMP fleet is yet to be replaced with the FICV program in progress.

Also on this shelf

See also

• ▸EMC TA
• ▸Ageratina occidentalis
• ▸DR Class 99.23-24

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