India signs a contract to upgrade BMP-2 IFVs

The BMP-2M IFV – pictured above from India’s DefExpo 2022 held in Gujarat – is a BMP-2 featuring armament upgrades. (Janes/Kapil Kajal)

The Indian Ministry of Defence (MoD) has signed a contract with state-owned Armoured Vehicles Nigam Limited (AVNL) to upgrade the armament of 693 BMP-2 infantry fighting vehicles (IFVs) to the BMP-2M standard, the MoD said in a press release on 13 March.

Under this contract, the AVNL will upgrade the Indian Army’s BMP-2s with night-fighting capability, gunner main sight, panoramic commander sight, and fire-control system (FCS) with an automatic target tracker, the MoD added.

The FCS and night-fighting capabilities for the BMP-2M are developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) in collaboration with Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL), the MoD said.

The AVNL unveiled its BMP-2M for the first time at DefExpo 2022, held in Gandhinagar, Gujarat, in October.

The company told
Janes
at the time that the BMP-2M is a BMP-2 featuring armament upgrade such as the addition of a third-generation sighting system and multifunctional display for gunner and commander, and an integrated FCS for all weapons.