The Indian Army has inducted its first batch ofnew Armoured Engineer Reconnaissance Vehicles (AERV) manufactured by Defence PSU Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL).
The AERVs have been upgraded with technology developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and inducted into the army’s Corps of Engineers. The Indian Army is slated to induct 156 new BMP II/IIK ICVs by 2023.
The AERV’s have been upgraded with instruments for water reconnaissance, land reconnaissance, navigation and data backup. The new tracked vehicles can measure soil bearing capacity on riverbanks to determine if they are motorable for military vehicles on a Go-No Go basis (critical parameters for bridge laying), dry and wet gaps in the day and night conditions, slopes and height of river banks/canals. It can also measure and plot underwater beds and water currents of rivers/canals.
The BMP-IIK is powered by a 300bhp engine, and the amphibious vehicle can attain a speed of 65 kmph on land and 7kmph on water.
The new AERV’s are manufactured by BEL-Pune and feature greater than 90% indigenous content. The AERV is based on the eighties-era BMP-II amphibious Infantry Combat Vehicle (ICV) manufactured at Medak and known locally as ‘Sarath’.
The first BMP-II produced under license at Ordnance Factory, Medak, rolled out in 1987.