The Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) has approved the acquisition of the Futuristic Infantry Combat Vehicle (FICV) for the Indian Army under the provision of an ‘Acceptance of Necessity’ (AoN) status under the ‘Buy (Indian)’ category.
The acquisition bid includes a tracked version of the FICV for the Indian Army’s Mechanised Infantry regiments.
Earlier, in June 2022, the Indian Army issued a Request for Information (RFI) for the third time seeking the planned procurement of around 1,750 indigenously developed FICVs. These are to replace the Soviet-era BMP-1 and BMP-2 combat vehicles of the infantry.
Required Specifications: The RFI issued envisages that the FICVs should include a manned turret with future combat systems (FCS) and amphibious capabilities.
Additionally, the FICVs must include fire-and-forget top-attack ATGMs. Also, the combat vehicles must be equipped with an automatic cannon with a minimum calibre of 30mm, a stabilised remote control weapon station (RCWS) with a 12.7 mm machine gun, and a co-axial machine gun.
Prospective Bidders: Armoured Vehicles Nigam Limited (AVNL), in addition to several private-sector companies such as Larsen & Toubro (L&T), Mahindra Defence Systems, and Tata Motors are expected to bid for this program.
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