Armoured Vehicles Nigam Limited unveiled a prototype of the BMP-2M IFV at DefExpo 2022. (Janes/Kapil Kajal)
India's Bharat Electronics (BEL) has been awarded a contract to supply systems supporting the upgrade of the Indian Army's BMP-2 infantry fighting vehicle (IFV).
The state-owned company said in a filing to the Bombay Stock Exchange on 28 June that under the INR31.72 billion (USD380.5 million) deal it will integrate onto the BMP-2 a locally developed sighting and fire-control system (FCS). The contract also includes an engineering support package.
BEL signed the contract with Armoured Vehicles Nigam Limited (AVNL), another state-owned firm. AVNL is upgrading the Indian Army's BMP-2s to BMP-2M standard under a contract announced by the Indian Ministry of Defence (MoD) in March. The upgrade covers 693 vehicles.
BEL has not disclosed other details about its contract with AVNL, including the expected completion date.
According to the MoD, the BMP-2M designation includes the integration of night-fighting systems, a gunner main sight, a panoramic commander sight, and an FCS with an automatic target tracker.
The MoD said the systems were acquired through a procurement category known as Indian-Indigenously Designed Developed and Manufactured, which specifies a requirement for at least 50% indigenous content.
The systems were developed by BEL in collaboration with the government's Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).
According to information on BEL's website, its BMP-2M upgrade programme includes four main elements: gunner sight, commander sight, an integrated FCS, and an anti-tank guided missile (ATGM) upgrade.
Both the gunner and commander upgrades will enable access to gimballed two-axis stabilised sights containing thermal imagers, enabling hunter-killer target engagement. They also include new laser rangefinders and user interface.
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