Armoured Vehicles Nigam Limited (AVNL) is an Indian defence public sector undertaking engaged in the manufacture of armoured fighting vehicles and related military equipment. It is one of the seven new defence companies created by the Government of India in 2021 following the corporatisation of the erstwhile Ordnance Factory Board (OFB).
| Type | Defence Public Sector Undertaking (DPSU) |
|---|---|
| Industry | Defence manufacturing; armoured vehicles |
| Founded | 1 October 2021 |
| Country | India |
| Owner | Government of India, Ministry of Defence |
| Predecessor | Ordnance Factory Board (armoured vehicle units) |
For several decades, India's armoured vehicle production was carried out by units under the Ordnance Factory Board, a departmental organisation of the Department of Defence Production. In 2021, the Government of India dissolved the OFB and reorganised its 41 production units into seven wholly government-owned corporate entities, with the stated aim of improving efficiency, accountability, and product quality in defence manufacturing.
Armoured Vehicles Nigam Limited was constituted as the corporate entity responsible for armoured platforms, bringing together the ordnance factories that historically produced main battle tanks, infantry combat vehicles, and armoured carriers for the Indian Army and other security forces.
AVNL began functioning on 1 October 2021, the date on which the seven new defence corporations were formally vested with the assets, manpower, and ongoing contracts of the corresponding OFB units. The other six corporations created on the same date are Munitions India Limited, Advanced Weapons and Equipment India Limited, Troop Comforts Limited, Yantra India Limited, India Optel Limited, and Gliders India Limited.
AVNL's product range is centred on tracked and wheeled armoured platforms used by the Indian armed forces. These include variants of the T-72 and T-90 Bhishma main battle tanks, the indigenously developed Arjun main battle tank, the BMP-2 Sarath infantry combat vehicle, and associated spares, sub-assemblies and upgrades. The company also undertakes overhaul and life-extension work on in-service armoured vehicles.
The creation of AVNL is part of a broader policy shift towards corporatisation of defence production in India, aimed at aligning legacy ordnance factories with commercial practices, enabling them to participate more effectively in domestic and export markets, and supporting the Atmanirbhar Bharat initiative for self-reliance in defence manufacturing.