Industry | Defence |
---|---|
Founded | 1965 |
Headquarters | |
Area served | Defence |
Products | Arjun MBT, T-90, T-72, Vijayanta tanks |
Parent | Armoured Vehicles Nigam Limited (current) Ordnance Factories Board (former) |
Website | Official Website |
Heavy Vehicles Factory (HVF) is an armoured vehicle and battle tank manufacturing factory located at Avadi in Chennai in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is managed by Armoured Vehicles Nigam Limited (AVANI) of the Ministry of Defence, Government of India. [1]
Heavy Vehicles Factory (HVF) was established in 1961 by the Ordnance Factory Board to manufacture heavy battlefield equipment and was later made part of AVANI during the re-organisation in 2021. [2]
The factory is powered by a 16 MW solar power plant, spread over 80 acres (32 ha), commissioned in 2018 and installed by Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) at a cost of ₹1,050 million (US$13 million). The plant helps reduce carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions to the extent of 26,000 tonnes per annum, saving ₹45 million (US$560,000) each year. [3]
Products of HVF include Vijayanta, Kartik BLT, M-46 Catapult and T-72 Ajeya, Arjun MBT and T-90 Bhishma tanks.
The T-90 is a third-generation Russian main battle tank developed to replace the T-72. It uses a 125 mm 2A46 smoothbore main gun, the 1A45T fire-control system, an upgraded engine, and gunner's thermal sight. Standard protective measures include a blend of steel and composite armour, smoke grenade dischargers, Kontakt-5 explosive reactive armour (ERA) and the Shtora infrared anti-tank guided missile (ATGM) jamming system.
The Arjun is a third generation main battle tank developed by the Combat Vehicles Research and Development Establishment (CVRDE) of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), for the Indian Army. The tank is named after Arjuna, the archer prince who is the main protagonist of the Indian epic poem Mahabharata. Design work began in 1986 and was finished in 1996. The Arjun main battle tank entered service with the Indian Army in 2004. The 43rd Armoured Regiment, formed in 2009, was the first regiment to receive the Arjun.
Avadi is a western suburb of Chennai, and the headquarters of Avadi taluk located within the Thiruvallur district of Tamil Nadu, India. Situated at about 22 kilometres (14 mi) from Chennai Central Railway Station, it is one of the four municipal corporations in the Chennai Metropolitan Area and is governed by the Avadi Municipal Corporation. It is surrounded by major defence establishments and is home to various universities and engineering colleges. The neighborhood is served by Avadi Railway Station of the Chennai Suburban Railway. As of 2011, Avadi had a population of 345,996, which is 10th most populous place in Tamil Nadu. It is home to the Heavy Vehicles Factory (HVF), Ordnance Factory Board (ODF) which houses Engine Factory and Combat Vehicles Research and Development Establishment (CVRDE). The lake in Avadi was known as Paaleripattu, which is now found only in very old land documents.
BEML Limited, formerly Bharat Earth Movers Limited, is an Indian public sector undertaking which manufactures a variety of heavy equipment, such as that used for earth moving, railways, transport and mining. It is headquartered in Bangalore. BEML is Asia's second-largest manufacturer of earth moving equipment. Its stock trades on the National Stock Exchange of India under the symbol "BEML", and on the Bombay Stock Exchange under the code "500048".
The automotive industry in India is the world's fourth-largest by production and valuation as per 2022 statistics. As of 2023, India is the 3rd largest automobile market in the world in terms of sales.
Ordnance Factory Board (OFB), consisting of the Indian Ordnance Factories, now known as Directorate of Ordnance, was an organisation, under the Department of Defence Production (DDP) of Ministry of Defence (MoD), Government of India.
Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) is an Indian Government-owned aerospace and defence electronics company. It primarily manufactures advanced electronic products for ground and aerospace applications. BEL is one of sixteen PSUs under the Ministry of Defence of India. It has been granted Navratna status by the Government of India.
Combat Vehicles Research and Development Establishment (CVRDE) is a laboratory of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO). Located at Avadi, in Chennai, India. It is the main DRDO lab involved in the development of Armoured fighting vehicles, Tanks, Automotive electronics and many other.
The Vijayanta was a main battle tank built in India based on a licensed design of the Vickers Mk.1. The Vijayanta was the first indigenous tank of the Indian Army.
Chennai is nicknamed the "Detroit of Asia" due to the presence of major automobile manufacturing units and allied industries around the city.
The Indian Army Armoured Corps is one of the combat arms of the Indian Army. Tracing its origins from the first regiment formed in 1776, the present corps was formed in 1947 from two-thirds of the personnel and assets of the British Indian Army's Indian Armoured Corps. It currently consists of 67 armoured regiments, including the President's Bodyguard.
Ordnance Factory Tiruchirappalli (OFT), also called Ordnance Factory Trichy, is a small arms factory operated by Advanced Weapons and Equipment India Limited based in Tiruchirappalli, Tamil Nadu, which was previously part of Ordnance Factory Board of the Ministry of Defence, Government of India. The company is headed only by an IOFS officer called General Manager (ex officio Additional Secretary to Government of India) who is the chief executive officer, responsible for the overall management of the company.
Advanced Weapons and Equipment India Limited (AWE) is an Indian defence Public Sector Undertaking, headquartered in Kanpur, India. AWE primarily manufactures Small arms and artillery guns for the use of the Indian Armed Forces, foreign militaries and domestic civilian use.
Armoured Vehicles Nigam Limited (AVANI) is an Indian state-owned defence company, headquartered in Avadi, Chennai established in 2021 as part of the restructuring and corporatisation of the Ordnance Factory Board into seven different Public Sector Undertakings. AVANI primarily manufactures Armoured fighting vehicles, Main battle tanks and their engines for the use of the Indian Armed Forces and foreign militaries. Products of AVANI include Arjun, T-90, BMP-2 Sarath, Vijayanta, Kartik BLT, M-46 Catapult and T-72 Ajeya battle tanks and stallion trucks.
Gliders India Limited (GIL) is an Indian state-owned defence company, headquartered at Ordnance Parachute Factory in Kanpur, India established in 2021 as part of the restructuring and corporatisation of the Ordnance Factory Board into seven different Public Sector Undertakings. GIL primarily manufactures military parachutes for the use of the Indian Armed Forces and foreign militaries and parachutes for aero-sport and emergency services.
Troop Comforts Limited (TCL) is an Indian state-owned defence company, headquartered in Kanpur, India established in 2021 as part of the restructuring and corporatisation of the Ordnance Factory Board into seven different Public Sector Undertakings. It is involved in the manufacture of life-cycle clothing, extreme cold climate clothing, mountaineering equipment, supply drop equipment, water storage equipment, tents and other products for the Indian Armed Forces and for civilian use.
Munitions India Limited (MIL) is an Indian state-owned defence company, headquartered in Pune, India, established in 2021 as part of the restructuring and corporatisation of the Ordnance Factory Board into seven different Public Sector Undertakings. Munitions India primarily manufactures ammunition, explosives, rockets and bombs for the use of the Indian Armed Forces, foreign militaries and domestic civilian use.
Yantra India Limited is an Indian major state-owned defence production PSU, headquartered in Nagpur, India. Established in 2021 as part of the government’s restructuring and corporatisation of the Ordnance Factory Board into seven different Public Sector Undertakings - the company consists of eight defence manufacturing factory units indigenously catering to the needs of supplies, arms, explosives, artillery and munition for the Indian Armed Forces.
India Optel Limited is an Indian state-owned defence company, headquartered in Dehradun, India established in 2021 as part of the restructuring and corporatization of the Ordnance Factory Board into seven different Public Sector Undertakings. India Optel primarily manufactures Electro-optical sensors, weapon sights and communication equipment for the use of the Indian Armed Forces and foreign militaries.