Carborundum Universal to Supply Ceramic Armour for DRDO’s Vikram VT21 Combat Platform

India’s push toward self-reliant defence manufacturing is increasingly being driven by advanced materials, and a recent development involving Carborundum Universal Limited (CUMI) highlights how specialised ceramics are becoming part of this effort.

The company has been recognised by the Defence Research and Development Organisation’s Vehicles Research and Development Establishment (VRDE) as an armour solutions partner for the indigenous Vikram VT21, also known as the Advanced Armoured Platform. The platform is being developed as a family of eight-wheeled and tracked armoured fighting vehicles in collaboration with Indian industry partners.

Ceramic armour is becoming an important defence material

Unlike conventional steel armour, ceramic-composite protection can combine high hardness with relatively low weight. This is particularly important for modern combat vehicles, where protection has to be balanced against mobility, payload and fuel efficiency.

CUMI will provide engineered ceramic-composite panels for the Vikram VT21. According to the company’s announcement, the panels are intended to provide protection corresponding to STANAG 2 and 3 levels. Once the platform enters commercial production, each vehicle is expected to use approximately 300 customised armour panels protecting areas including the front and hull.

The approach demonstrates an important principle in modern armoured-vehicle design: protection is no longer simply about adding thicker metal. Engineers increasingly combine different materials so that each layer performs a specific function.

How ceramic-composite armour works

Ceramic armour generally uses a hard ceramic strike face backed by additional structural or energy-absorbing layers.

When a projectile hits the ceramic surface, the extremely hard material can disrupt or fracture the projectile while also spreading the impact over a wider area. A backing structure then helps absorb and manage the remaining energy.

CUMI’s armour technology uses customised ceramic segments combined with a metallic backing plate designed to withstand impact and environmental exposure. The company says the ceramic segments for its vehicle armour are based on Zirconia Toughened Alumina, a technical ceramic material tested and qualified by DRDO’s Defence Metallurgical Research Laboratory (DMRL).

The advantage of this layered architecture is that engineers can optimise protection without simply increasing the thickness and mass of the entire vehicle.

Why the Vikram VT21 needs advanced protection

The Vikram VT21 is being developed as an advanced armoured platform intended to support different military roles. Its development involves DRDO and Indian industry partners, with both wheeled and tracked configurations being pursued.

For such platforms, armour has to do more than stop a projectile. It must also remain effective under vibration, temperature changes, dust, moisture and repeated mechanical stresses.

Excessive armour weight can negatively affect acceleration, range, manoeuvrability and the ability to operate across difficult terrain. Advanced ceramic composites therefore offer a way to approach the protection problem through materials engineering rather than simply increasing the quantity of conventional armour.

CUMI’s expanding role in Indian defence materials

The Vikram VT21 programme is not CUMI’s first collaboration with India’s defence research ecosystem.

In October 2024, DRDO’s DMRL entered into a Transfer of Technology arrangement with CUMI for manufacturing lightweight composite armour panels for armoured vehicles including the WhAP 8×8. CUMI has also been involved in other defence-material applications, including ceramic plates for protective equipment.

CUMI’s relationship with DRDO extends into aerospace and missile-related materials as well. In 2023, the company received technology-transfer arrangements associated with ceramic radome manufacturing technology developed by DRDO’s Research Centre Imarat. Ceramic radomes are used in missile systems because ceramic materials can withstand demanding thermal conditions while allowing electromagnetic signals to pass through.

These developments point toward a broader shift in India’s defence industry: domestic companies are increasingly moving beyond conventional manufacturing into specialised materials, engineering and technology development.

From raw materials to finished defence systems

One particularly important aspect of CUMI’s defence work is its integrated materials capability.

The company describes itself as a materials-science engineering organisation with activities spanning mining, processing, manufacturing and distribution. Its ceramics business includes advanced technical materials used across demanding industrial applications.

For defence manufacturing, such integration can be strategically important. A reliable domestic supply chain reduces dependence on overseas sources for specialised materials and makes it easier to develop customised products for specific Indian platforms.

CUMI has stated that its armour development can be carried out in India from raw-material stages through finished products, supporting the broader objective of strengthening domestic defence manufacturing.

Testing is as important as the material itself

A ceramic material may have excellent laboratory properties, but armour systems must ultimately be tested as complete structures.

CUMI’s published armour documentation includes testing of composite vehicle armour panels against specified ballistic threats. Its armour brochure records testing associated with STANAG protection requirements, including multi-hit ballistic testing.

This distinction is important because real-world armour performance depends on much more than ceramic hardness. Tile geometry, bonding, backing materials, spacing, mounting and environmental durability can all influence the final result.

For an operational combat vehicle, the armour system must therefore be engineered as part of the vehicle rather than treated as an isolated material.

A step toward more indigenous defence manufacturing

The Vikram VT21 development represents more than another armoured vehicle programme. It illustrates how India’s defence ecosystem is increasingly connecting government research organisations with domestic specialists in materials science and manufacturing.

The involvement of CUMI also shows how advanced ceramics can move from specialised industrial applications into strategic defence technologies.

As Indian combat vehicles become more modular and sophisticated, the demand for lightweight armour, high-performance ceramics, composite structures and other advanced materials is likely to increase.

For India’s defence-manufacturing ambitions, the significance lies not simply in producing another armour panel. It is in building the scientific, engineering and manufacturing capability required to design, test and produce critical protection technologies within the country.