Pravaig's 'Veer' undergoes military trials, wins iDEX defence award

Bengaluru-based EV startup Pravaig's all-terrain stealth vehicle, Veer -- the world's first operational EV designed for tactical defense use -- has undergone military trials and won the prestigious iDEX award from the Ministry of Defence.

"In a major step towards strategic autonomy, Pravaig has won the prestigious iDEX Award for its VEER Electric Tactical All-Terrain Vehicle (E-TATV) -- a cutting-edge, highly stealthy vehicle designed for forward patrolling, reconnaissance, and ISR operations," Pravaig Dynamics said in a post on X.

Atima Corporation, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Pravaig, won the iDEX Award by the Defence Innovation Organisation (DIO), under the aegis of the Department of Defence Production in the Ministry of Defence, "for deepening India's sovereignty by building cutting-edge defence technologies and reinforcing the country's strategic autonomy."  The scheme for iDEX-Innovations for Defence Excellence was launched in May 2021 by DIO to foster innovation and technology development in the Defence sector. The mission is to build, own and operate India's defence technology.

The award is considered the first step towards induction into Indian Defence Services.

Pravaig said technology dependency on foreign entities proved to be an Achilles' heel for not just Ukraine, but even for India, as evidenced by the GPS denial by the US during the Kargil War.

The iDEX Award is conferred for deepening India's sovereignty by building cutting-edge defence technologies and reinforcing the country's strategic autonomy.

The mission is clear -- to ensure that India builds, owns, and operates its own advanced defence systems, free from external control.

Pravaig VEER is "built in India, for India", the firm said.

"With the Pravaig VEER, India is asserting its control over critical military technologies, ensuring full sovereignty over its national security infrastructure," it said.

VEER has class-leading stealth and is extremely powerful, military-grade and fully field-repairable. India will have complete data ownership with no foreign control.

The vehicle has been field tested at difficult terrains and altitudes.

"Pravaig builds products that leapfrog India's capabilities," it said.

The startup also manufactures high-precision batteries for EVs.