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In a significant step towards integrating unmanned systems with next-generation armoured platforms, Armoured Vehicles Nigam Limited (AVNL) has invited companies to develop a suite of advanced drones, including loitering munitions (kamikaze drones), for its future main battle tank programme.
The defence public sector manufacturer has issued an Expression of Interest (EoI) through the Heavy Vehicles Factory (HVF), Avadi, seeking technology partners for the design, development, and supply of three categories of drones for the proposed AVNL Main Battle Tank platform: loitering munitions, untethered surveillance drones, and tethered drones.
The move reflects the Indian Army’s growing focus on lessons emerging from recent conflicts, where drones have increasingly become integral to armoured warfare, providing reconnaissance, targeting and precision-strike capabilities far beyond the line of sight of tank crews.
According to the EoI, AVNL plans to procure three prototype sets during the development phase. If the company’s tank platform is selected by the Ministry of Defence under the Future Ready Combat Vehicle (FRCV) programme, the requirement could expand to around 590 drone systems during series production.
The project falls under the Buy (Indian-IDDM) category of the Defence Acquisition Procedure (DAP) 2020, underscoring the government’s emphasis on indigenous design, development and manufacturing.
The proposed drone package is intended to provide future Indian tanks with enhanced battlefield awareness, extended surveillance coverage and the ability to strike targets beyond the visual range of conventional tank weapons.
Kamikaze Drones for Anti-Tank Missions: Specification
Among the most notable requirements is a loitering munition capable of destroying heavily protected armoured targets.
AVNL has specified that the weapon should be able to penetrate at least 500 mm of rolled homogeneous armour (RHA), with a preferred capability of 600 mm, and should be able to defeat explosive reactive armour through top-attack engagement profiles.
The loitering munition is expected to have a minimum operational range of 15 kilometres, an endurance of at least 45 minutes, and a circular error probability of less than one metre, enabling highly accurate strikes against enemy armour and high-value targets.
The system must be capable of operating across a wide range of terrain, including deserts, plains, forests, urban areas and mountainous regions, at altitudes of up to 18,000 feet above mean sea level.
Surveillance Drones for Real-Time Battlefield Awareness
For reconnaissance missions, AVNL is seeking untethered drones capable of transmitting 2K-resolution video at 30 frames per second over distances of up to 20 kilometres.
The surveillance systems are expected to function effectively in contested electronic warfare environments and incorporate encrypted communications, autonomous navigation in GNSS-denied conditions, automatic target tracking and return-to-home functionality.
Such capabilities would allow tank crews to detect threats, identify targets and monitor the battlefield well beyond the reach of traditional optics and sensors
Tethered Drones for Persistent ISR
The EoI also calls for tethered drone systems that can provide continuous intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) support, while also serving as communication relay platforms.
Unlike conventional drones, these systems would draw power directly from the armoured vehicle through a cable, enabling extended airborne operation without battery limitations. The capability is expected to provide armoured formations with persistent situational awareness during combat operations.
Strong Indigenous Content Mandate
AVNL has laid down stringent localisation requirements for participating companies. Indigenous content must exceed 50 per cent during the prototype stage, increasing progressively to 80 per cent by the final production lot.
The company has also retained the right to verify claims relating to indigenous design and development physically.
Participation has been restricted to Indian entities, including private industry, MSMEs, public sector undertakings and government organisations. However, companies already competing directly in the Indian Army’s FRCV (Future Reconnaissance and Combat Vehicle), Future Infantry Combat Vehicle (FICV), Armoured Recovery Vehicle (ARV), or light tank platform programmes have been excluded from the drone project.
The EoI highlights the rapid evolution of armoured warfare, where unmanned systems are increasingly becoming force multipliers for tanks and mechanised formations. Recent conflicts have demonstrated how drones can extend a tank’s reach, improve target acquisition and deliver precision effects without exposing crews to direct enemy fire.
By seeking indigenous loitering munitions, surveillance drones and tethered ISR platforms as part of its future tank ecosystem, AVNL is positioning its proposed combat vehicle to operate in a battlefield where manned and unmanned systems are expected to fight as an integrated team.
Team BharatShakti
