CURRENT AFFAIRS | 30 APRIL 2026
CLAT GK + Defence
The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) on April 25, 2026 rolled out the first prototypes of the Vikram VT 21, also called the Advanced Armoured Platform (AAP), at the Vehicles Research & Development Establishment (VRDE) in Ahilyanagar, Maharashtra. The Vikram VT 21 is being pitched as the long-overdue indigenous answer to the Indian Army’s Future Infantry Combat Vehicle (FICV) requirement, which seeks to replace the ageing Soviet-era BMP-2 ICV fleet that has been in service since the 1980s.
The platform comes in two variants — an 8-wheeled wheeled version (faster, easier to maintain, suited for roads and urban/semi-urban terrain) and a tracked version (continuous tracks for superior grip on rough/uneven and off-road terrain). Both are amphibious. DRDO Chairman Samir V Kamat said the prototypes were developed in just three years and trials over the next 3 years will determine final induction.
What Happened
Vikram VT 21 has been co-developed by DRDO’s Vehicles Research & Development Establishment (VRDE), Bharat Forge (Kalyani Strategic Systems Limited) and Tata Advanced Systems Limited (TASL). It carries an indigenously-designed 30 mm crewless turret with a remote-operated gun, paired with a 7.62 mm Russian-origin PKT machine gun and third-generation indigenous Nag anti-tank guided missiles. Protection is STANAG Level 4 + 5 (NATO standard for resistance to gunfire, blasts and artillery splinters), with modular armour, hydro-jet propulsion for amphibious operations, and a high power-to-weight ratio.
The Background
India’s BMP-2 fleet has been the workhorse of mechanised infantry since the 1980s but is now critically obsolete. The FICV programme has been on the drawing board for over a decade, repeatedly delayed by procurement disputes. Vikram VT 21 enters at ~65% indigenous content, with a target of ~90% through phased localisation of the power pack and key sub-systems — squarely under the Atmanirbhar Bharat in Defence umbrella.
Constitutional & Legal Framework
- Article 246 + Seventh Schedule, Union List Entries 1, 2 & 7 — defence of India, naval/military/air forces, and arms/ammunition are exclusively Union subjects.
- Defence Acquisition Procedure (DAP) 2020 — current overarching framework for defence procurement, replacing DPP 2016; prioritises ‘Buy Indian — IDDM’ (Indigenously Designed, Developed and Manufactured).
- Positive Indigenisation Lists (PILs) — Ministry of Defence has notified 5+ lists barring import of specified weapon systems, mandating local manufacture.
- DRDO — autonomous body under the Ministry of Defence, established 1958; works under the Department of Defence R&D.
- Defence Procurement Manual (DPM) + iDEX (Innovations for Defence Excellence) — start-up & MSME plug-in to FICV-class programmes.
Why This Matters
The Indian Army’s projected FICV requirement runs to ~1,750–1,770 vehicles across multiple configurations — orders worth tens of thousands of crores. A 65→90% indigenous platform sharply reduces forex outgo, secures the supply chain (a real concern after the 2022 Russia-Ukraine war disrupted Soviet-spare flows), and seeds an Indian armoured-vehicle export industry to West Asia, Africa and Southeast Asia.
CLAT 2027 — Why You Must Know This
Defence and Atmanirbhar Bharat are perennial CLAT GK favourites. Expect questions on FICV, BMP-2 replacement, DRDO’s parent ministry, DAP 2020 IDDM category, and Constitutional Union-List placement of defence. A high-probability passage will combine Vikram VT 21 with the broader Make-in-India / Atmanirbhar Bharat indigenisation policy and ask about the specific ‘Buy Indian’ procurement category.
Key Facts at a Glance
| NAME | Vikram VT 21 (Advanced Armoured Platform) |
| UNVEILED | 25 April 2026, VRDE Ahilyanagar |
| PARTNERS | DRDO + Bharat Forge (KSSL) + Tata Advanced Systems |
| VARIANTS | Wheeled (8-wheel) + Tracked; both amphibious |
| ARMAMENT | 30 mm crewless turret + 7.62 mm PKT MG + 3rd-gen Nag ATGM |
| PROTECTION | STANAG Level 4 + 5 (NATO standard) |
| INDIGENOUS CONTENT | ~65% (target ~90%) |
| FICV REQUIREMENT | ~1,750–1,770 vehicles |
Mnemonic
FICV = Future Infantry Combat Vehicle. Vikram VT 21 = the WT-T answer (Wheeled + Tracked, both Twelve-tonne-plus armoured platforms).
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Source: The Indian Express, 30 April 2026.
