To tackle challenges from terrorists, DRDO developed ‘Anti-Terrorist Vehicle’ is considered to be highly effective as it can move around narrow lanes, small buildings with ease and neutralise targets

The ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyaan,’ or ‘Self-Reliant India Mission’ has been extended to the defence sector with India recognising over 100 items to be produced at home which includes Anti-Terrorist Vehicle (ATV). ATV whose actual full form is All-Terrain Vehicle which the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) is developing has caught many eyes.

The ATV has been developed by Vehicles Research and Development Establishment (VRDE), a laboratory at DRDO and it can carry three soldiers equipped for operations. The vehicle is armoured against small arms and grenades and weights around 3 tonnes, the report said. Because it is small in size, it can move around small buildings, lanes and constrained spaces, Eurasian Times reports.

“The armoured vehicle has a very low turning circle diameter, which enables it to turn around itself within a limited space. It has all-round ballistic and blast protection, better firing capability, and is equipped with varied requirements to carry out the counter-insurgency operation in urban areas,” the news outlet quoted a senior official as saying.

On August 9, the Defence Ministry imposed restrictions on the import of 101 defence equipment. The ministry said that the defence equipment would be developed indigenously by DRDO which will help India become a self-reliant country in terms of defence sector.

The government has so far prepared a list of around 108 items to be produced at home by DRDO. The items included mini and micro UAVs, mine laying and marking equipment, armoured engineering reconnaissance vehicle, and fuel system components for aircraft as well as ATV, the report said. Out of the 108 items, 68 would be developed by the end of this year. The rest 40 items would be developed by 2021, the report stated.