If everything goes according to plan, by the end of this year DRDO will begin testing a long-needed full-tracked unmanned remote-controlled military vehicle. The 14-ton vehicle will be an armoured, amphibious and air-transportable – its declared functions as of now include nuclear-biological-chemical reconnaisance, surveillance and mine-hunting. The vehicle chassis will be 6.7 metres long and 3.15 metres wide over the track guards (2.85 metres over just the tracks). The vehicle will have an independent torsion bar suspension system. Propulsion on land is proposed to be provided by the 2.5-metre wide tracks with track drive sprockets out front. The final drive ration as envisaged by the Combat Vehicles Research & Development Establishment (CVRDE), the laboratory that will pioneer the vehicle, is 5.5.
According to the DRDO, on hard level ground (while keeping its amphibious capability a
ctivated), the vehicle should cruise at a minimum of 65-km/h, with a maximum speed during mission mode of 20 km/h. The vehicle should be able to gun up from zero to 32 km/h in under eight seconds, and brake from 65 km/h to stand-still in about the same time. With a flat cruising range of 400-km, cross-country range of 200-km and a mission intensive range of 150-km @ 5 km/h, the vehicle is being developed to hold 462 litres of diesel.
The lab has also set down its obstacle abilities. The maximum gradient possible for the vehicle will be about 35° at 5 km/h, with the ability to cross a 2.5-m trench and a vertical obstacke 0.7-m high. Its operating terrain conditions should include plains, deserts, semi-deserts, urban areas and river line. 
Obviously with almost no expertise in armoured vehicle powerpacks, DRDO is in the market for a 400HP liquid inter-cooled four-stroke turbocharged diesel engine,with an electric start and the ability to operate in a minimum ambient temperature of -20°C and a maximum of 55°C. The engine would likely have a drive-by-wire management system, a high coolant temperature warning, shut off mechanism at Low oil pressure, low coolant level and no coolant flow, power de-rating mechanism at high coolant temperature and warning at the fuel filter choking.
Top Photo of BMP-2 model by Allan Yang
great post shiv. keep it coming.
It's looking great.If it starts its
test trials at the end of this year.then when will its complete testing phase ends or how long will it take for this wonderful
machine to be inducted into the
army.I hope it won't take as long
as it took for LCA and Arjun MBT
just for its test trials and it is
still continuing.I think we should
not underestimate the 'DRDO' just
for some delays/partial failures
afterall there are several projects
that were & are being developed by
the DRDO.Does the Pakistani and
Chinese army have any unmanned
armoured vehicles like this???
shiv,pls check ur inbox.
What happened to making IFV, which was loudly proclaimed when revealed to show indian prowess. Now I hear it is a tech demostrator, meaning it failed to impress army. Now DRDO is spreading resources to a project, which would be good if developed and fielded but unlikely to happen for sometime.
shiv,from where did you get that pic? do u hav a high -resolution version of it? I can’t read whats written in it.
Why show the pic of some random Dragon BMP? This is not the one DRDO is building. Gloss factor?
i would like to commend you for the depth of detail of this article. excellent work. please continue this great service you are doing.
why there are no indian howitzers?
OFB and DRDo dont have the tech? They can atleast reverse engineer BOFORS with improvements!
latest news you will get, is that ofb manufactured is of inferior quality and everyboby pounds on drdo for this issue.Better to buy hotwitzer than ask for troube.Remember the indian field gun problem issue
How can the OFB make the guns properly if it cannot get the electricity properly.
Some info, but no mention of procurement. From Hindu (2008.12.17)- CVRDE director S. Sundaresh said: “They will be on the road in the later part of 2009.
“They will be equipped with high-power lasers, sensors and have the global positioning system.
“It will have a five-metre tall mast with sensors. A camera will take high-resolution pictures of the enemy territory and send the pictures by radio links to the base-station.”
This vehicle will have a self-destruct capability, if captured. It will destroy itself after cleaning up its electronics. “This is one of the exciting areas we are working on.”
The base station that will control the THREE types of vehicles will be located about five km away. The range can be extended up to 15 km.
The problems in home grown weapons can sort out with the help from private / foreign manufactures, so for new projects DRDO can start with co research with orther experts .
We hardly need Anti-tank & Anti-aircraft missiles in warfield , We have the tech of these weapons , but research dept is feeble in Seeker tech so these problems should be solved immediately with abroad help .