DRDO Partners with CSIR-CGCRI on Rs 50-Crore Project for Indigenous Lightweight Bulletproof Glass for Armoured Vehicles

Key facts

• The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has partnered with CSIR-Central Glass and Ceramic Research Institute (CSIR-CGCRI) as technology partner for a Rs 50-crore, four-year project to develop indigenous lightweight bulletproof glass for armoured vehicles.
• The project involves DRDO laboratories including the Naval Materials Research Laboratory (NMRL) in Maharashtra and TBRL in Chandigarh, and aims to reduce weight and thickness of transparent armour by 30-50 per cent compared to imported options.
• The glass-ceramic material uses nanometre-sized crystals dispersed in an engineered glass matrix, designed to withstand AK-47 rifle fire from 100 metres as per BIS V and VI standards.
• In initial ballistic trials at DRDO-TBRL in Chandigarh, the material stopped rounds fired from a Trichy Assault Rifle from 10 metres at a velocity of about 695 metres per second.
• CSIR-CGCRI Director is Bikramjit Basu, and the project leader is Atiar Rahaman Molla, Scientist-F, Specialty Glass Division.
• The next stage involves multi-shot testing, and the technology will transition to commercial production through an industry partner to be selected by DRDO.