The Indian Army has declared interest in undertaking a comprehensive
upgrade of its BMP-2/2K that effects mobility, fire power and
survivability upgrade. The upgrades are to be incorporated in both the
existing fleet of BMPs and the ones which are likely to be produced in
future.
The Army has revealed that approximately 2,600 vehicles
(including retro-fitment and new production) are likely to be covered
under the new requirement.
The upgrade is the most comprehensive
effort to modernise the huge number of BMP-2 and 2Ks currently in
service, with more in the pipeline. While the onus on the upgrade has
been broadly categorized and placed on interested vendors in their
preliminary responses, the Army has made some specifics clear as fare as
its expectations.
For instance, it has asked vendors to state
their capability to integrate existing Instant Fire Detection and
Suppression System, Environmental Control Unit, Digitized Communication
System, Advanced Land Navigation Systems as part of the upgrade.
Significantly, the upgrade also envisages a comprehensive armament
capability upgrade, including primary weapons and anti-tank guided
missile deployment capabilities.
