Industry Odisha Bureau, Sep 28: A ₹50-crore DRDO programme with CSIR-CGCRI aims to develop lighter transparent armour. It targets 30–50% cuts in weight and thickness. Multi-shot testing and a manufacturing partner come next.*
Transparent armour protects armoured vehicles, but it adds to platform weight. That weight can constrain mobility, fuel efficiency and payload capacity. India is now trying to shrink that burden without weakening protection.
The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) is leading a ₹50-crore effort. Its technology partner is CSIR-Central Glass and Ceramic Research Institute (CSIR-CGCRI). The four-year project aims to develop indigenous, lighter bulletproof glass for armoured vehicles. Officials describe it as being at an advanced stage.
A different kind of glass
The project rests on glass-ceramics rather than conventional transparent armour. Nanometre-sized crystals are spread evenly through a specially engineered glass matrix. These crystals form through controlled crystallisation of a precursor glass.
The aim is to combine high strength and toughness with transparency. That combination is central to transparent armour. In simple terms, the crystals strengthen the material while keeping it clear.
Kolkata-based CSIR-CGCRI’s Specialty Glass Division has been developing transparent nanocrystalline glass-ceramics for armour.
First trials at TBRL
Initial ballistic trials took place at DRDO’s TBRL in Chandigarh. There, the material stopped rounds from a Trichy Assault Rifle, or TAR. The rifle is described as comparable to an AK-47.
Rounds were fired from 10 metres at roughly 695 metres per second. The result marks progress beyond laboratory material development. These were initial trials, however, not final qualification.
The tougher test ahead
Multi-shot testing comes next, with rounds fired in quick succession. CSIR-CGCRI Director Bikramjit Basu said this would test performance under more demanding conditions.
The project’s final objective is tougher still. Project leader Atiar Rahaman Molla said the goal is robust multi-shot protection. It should withstand direct AK-47 fire from 100 metres at a defined velocity. Testing would follow standard methods for BIS V and VI. That requirement remains a target, not an achieved result.
Why lighter matters
Molla said the technology targets a 30-50% cut in weight and thickness. The comparison is with conventional imported options. He said such reductions could significantly improve vehicle mobility and payload capacity. Heavy armour, he noted, also constrains fuel efficiency.
These gains, however, remain objectives until the material reaches production.
From laboratory to factory
Manufacturing is the programme’s next major hurdle. The project seeks to move from laboratory development to large-scale production. DRDO will select an industry partner for that step.
CSIR-CGCRI has also received interest from Indian companies exploring commercial uses. DRDO’s Naval Materials Research Laboratory (NMRL) in Maharashtra is also involved.
Building indigenous capability
The wider aim is reducing reliance on imported transparent armour. Basu said the project aligns CGCRI’s research with national strategic requirements.
Potential uses include aircraft, naval systems, security and critical infrastructure. For now, those remain possibilities rather than deployments.
The ₹50-crore programme has cleared an important early hurdle. Multi-shot trials and industrial scale-up will determine whether the glass delivers.
