DRDO-CSIR Lightweight Bulletproof Glass: The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) are working on a ₹50-crore project to make lighter and stronger bulletproof glass for armoured vehicles.
The four-year project is being carried out with CSIR-Central Glass and Ceramic Research Institute (CSIR-CGCRI), DRDO’s Naval Materials Research Laboratory (NMRL) and Terminal Ballistics Research Laboratory (TBRL). The work has already reached an advanced stage. The next target is to move the technology from laboratory work to large-scale production with an industry partner.
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The main aim is to make transparent armour in India instead of depending on imported products. Researchers also want the new material to be much lighter without losing its ability to protect soldiers inside military vehicles.
What is the New DRDO-CSIR Bulletproof Glass Project?
The new material is a special glass-ceramic made with tiny crystals inside a specially designed glass base. These crystals are only a few nanometres in size and are spread evenly through the material.
The process is called controlled crystallisation. It changes normal glass into a much stronger glass-ceramic while keeping it transparent. CSIR says the technology is being developed for armoured vehicles and could also be used for combat aircraft.
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Strong and Transparent
The biggest benefit is that the material can stay clear while giving high ballistic protection. This can make it useful for vehicle windows, observation panels and other places where soldiers need protection but also need to see outside.
According to project leader Atiar Rahaman Molla, the system is being developed for multi-shot protection and is targeted to meet BIS Level V and Level VI requirements.
New Glass Could Make Military Vehicles Lighter
Conventional transparent armour can be very heavy and thick. The new technology is expected to reduce both its weight and thickness by around 30% to 50% compared with imported options.
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This lower weight can help armoured vehicles carry more equipment and improve their mobility. It can also reduce the load placed on the vehicle’s engine.
“The primary objective is to deliver robust multi-shot ballistic protection capable of withstanding direct AK-47 rifle fire from a distance of 100 metres with a defined velocity as per the standard test methods for BIS V and VI,” said Molla.
Initial testing has already produced encouraging results. CSIR-CGCRI said tests carried out with DRDO in Chandigarh successfully stopped AK-47 bullets fired from 10 metres. More multi-shot testing is planned to check how the material performs against repeated hits.
