The four-crew FRCV will be powered by a 1,500-horsepower engine and should be transportable by aircraft, ship, rail, and road transport. The outlet reasoned that advancing asymmetric anti-tank technologies, such as combat drones and top-attack and loitering munitions, have increased the vulnerabilities of older tank models that lack more advanced mobile protection systems.

The project’s main thrust will replace the Indian Army’s over four-decade-old Russian-origin T-72 main battle tank, beginning in 2030, according to The Hindu. Other possible FCRV variants are “light tracked, wheeled, bridge layer, and trawl tanks, self-propelled howitzers, air defense guns, artillery observation post and engineering reconnaissance vehicles, and armored ambulances.” The vehicle will be developed on a modular concept to serve as the base platform of at least 11 tracked vehicles, including a main battle tank, according to The Diplomat.

The project’s design and development should have at least 50 percent indigenous content, as the defense ministry specified in a project brief.

The Indian Ministry of Defence has approved the development and production of over 500 indigenously-built future combat vehicles.Ī total of 590 Future Ready Combat Vehicles (FRCV) will be built under the project’s Make-I category, which provides for up to 70 percent of government funding for prototype development.

Futuristic military tank