Indian Army to acquire 100 Armoured Personnel Carriers - India News and Travel Times Provides India-centric and other News and Features

The Indian Army is set to procure over 100 Armoured Personnel Carriers (APCs), which would be deployed in different kinds of terrains. The Army has initiated the process of acquiring these APCs by issuing a Request for Information (RFI) recently. According to the RFI, at least 100 APCs will be procured from the vendor chosen after the acquisition process and the rest would be licence-produced in India after a Transfer of Technology to an indigenous firm. Over a period of five years, the Indian Army is looking to add over 500 new APCs to its existing fleet of around 1,500 Russian-origin BMP-I and BMP-Iis, Defence Ministry sources said. Currently, the Indian Army has 26 mechanised infantry battalions with its APCs having the capability to carry around 10 soldiers each. Some of the APCs are equipped with missile launchers for firing Anti-Tank Guided Missile (ATGM). The Army wants its new APCs to be capable of being air-lifted in IAF heavylift aircraft such as the IL-76 and C-130Js to be procured from US in the near future. The new APCs should also be capable of being carried in Navy's amphibious warships such as the INS Jalashwa and the INS Airavat.