India is seeking to boost the battlefield mobility of its armed forces with the rollout of new anti-tank armored platforms designed to move across land and sea.
The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has unveiled the Advanced Armoured Platforms (AAPs), developed to align with evolving operational requirements of the Indian military.
Available in both wheeled and tracked variants, the vehicles are fitted with hydro jets that enable them to traverse water obstacles and turn rivers and wetlands into passable routes for maneuver forces.
On land, they are capable of moving across cross-country roads, steep and uneven terrain, and mud-filled tracks, supporting sustained mobility in difficult operating conditions.
Each AAP comes with a 30mm crewless turret adapted to fire anti-tank guided missiles, supported by a 7.62mm PKT machine gun that adds an additional layer of offensive capability.
According to India’s Ministry of Defence, the vehicles are also “integrated with a high power engine and automatic transmission,” delivering an improved power-to-weight ratio.
Homegrown Solutions
The AAPs were unveiled at a DRDO laboratory event in Maharashtra, with Chairman Samir V. Kamat emphasizing the platforms are fully homegrown.
He noted that they are developed in collaboration with industry partners TATA Advanced Systems Limited and Bharat Forge Limited, reflecting efforts to strengthen India’s domestic defense industrial base.
“The Indian Army has tough specifications, so we have to meet them,” Kamat said, as quoted by Defence.IN. “This platform has to operate in deserts as well as in high-altitude areas, so it must have very stabilized firing.”
