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Abhay (
Sanskrit
Sanskrit (; attributively , ; nominally , , ) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in South Asia after its predecessor languages had Trans-cultural diffusion ...
:
अभय, ''"Fearless"'') is an Infantry Combat Vehicle (ICV) being developed in
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area, the List of countries and dependencies by population, second-most populous ...
by the
Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO). Abhay is being developed as a technology demonstrator for replacing
Indian Army
The Indian Army is the Land warfare, land-based branch and the largest component of the Indian Armed Forces. The President of India is the Commander-in-Chief, Supreme Commander of the Indian Army, and its professional head is the Chief of Arm ...
BMP-2s.
Development began in the 1990s and design was complete in 2001.
[ , various systems of this vehicle were in advanced stages of development.][pp 14]
2004 Activity and Assessment Report
of the Ministry of Defence (India) (DO
India Rejects BMP-3 Offer, Will Maintain FICV Program
/ref> By 2020, Indian military announced plans to begin operational use of the Abhay ICV in 2027.[
]
Project
Abhay serves as a pre-technology demonstrator to develop and test technologies that will be used on a futuristic ICV (FICV), which will replace the Indian Army's BMP-2 vehicles. The project started in the late 1990s, and design work was completed by 2001.[Army to have Infantry Combat Vehicle]
UNI Report, '' The Tribune'', 5 August 2001 However, the project faced delays due to US sanctions imposed after the Pokhran-II Nuclear tests.
Abhay is being developed by the DRDO's Ahmednagar
Ahmednagar (), is a city located in the Ahmednagar district in the state of Maharashtra, India, about 120 km northeast of Pune and 114 km from Aurangabad. Ahmednagar takes its name from Ahmad Nizam Shah I, who founded the town in 1 ...
-based Vehicles Research & Development Establishment (VRDE). A Mild Steel (MS) prototype of the Abhay has been built, and is being tested for proving automotive systems. The pre-production prototype was rolled out in June 2005. Development of the first armoured prototype is also in progress.
In September 2019, it's announced that the FICV will be fast tracked.
In an interview emerged in January 2020, army chief Manoj Mukund Naravane told that induction of FICV is scheduled for 2026–27.
Design
Firepower
Abhay features an all-electrical turret drive system and a 40 mm high-velocity cannon capable of firing APFSDS and High explosive
An explosive (or explosive material) is a reactive substance that contains a great amount of potential energy that can produce an explosion if released suddenly, usually accompanied by the production of light, heat, sound, and pressure. An ...
rounds. The 40MM APFSDS round has an effective penetration of 100 mm RHA at 1 km.
The anti-air firing range of the 40 mm cannon is 4 km and 2.5 km for ground attack. The ICV comes loaded with a total of 210 rounds of ammunition, and its turret, housing a thermal imager using the Catherine FC, also contains a twin-launcher for the Kornet-E ATGM (anti-tank guided missile). The Abhay is operated by a crew of three, and carries seven infantry soldiers.
FIRE CONTROL SYSTEM
An electro-mechanical all-electric drive (AED) for weapons control with independent stabilisation has been developed indigenously by DRDO in association with private sector industry for the turret. The purpose of the AED is to position the 40 mm cannon on to the target in azimuth and elevation and to provide twin-axis turret stabilisation against external disturbances.
Mobility
Abhay is powered by a Greaves Cotton TD2 V8 410 kW (550 hp) diesel engine (a power-to-weight ratio of 24 hp/tonne) and an automatic gearbox supplied by L-3 Communications. The hydro-pneumatic suspension allows for increased passenger comfort. These factors will give Abhay excellent mobility and speed.
The DRDO's Defence Bioengineering and Electromedical Laboratory (DEBEL) based in Bengaluru
Bangalore (), officially Bengaluru (), is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Karnataka. It has a population of more than and a metropolitan population of around , making it the third most populous city and fifth most ...
is designing the ergonomical layout of Abhay.DRDO's Life saving products save foreign exchange too
, FIDSNS, 30 August 2007
Protection
Abhay is fitted with NBC protection system and Advanced Laser Warning system, which alerts the crew and turns the turret towards the direction of the laser beam.
Integrated Fire Suppression System
(IFSS) has been developed to suppress fire in engine, ammunition and crew compartment.
Armour
Abhay is equipped with composite armour. Two prototypes were built. The first one was with the steel armour and the second one was fitted with the composite armour. The composite armour reduces the weight by 40% compared to steel. Lighter ERA has been developed to be used on the Abhay.
References
External links
DRDO Techfocus on Abhay IFV
at GlobalSecurity.org
{{DEFAULTSORT:Abhay Ifv
Infantry fighting vehicles
Infantry fighting vehicles of India
Military vehicles of India
Post–Cold War military equipment of India