The Future Infantry Combat Vehicle (FICV), intended to replace the Indian Army’s 2,600 BMP-2 vehicles at an estimated cost of Rs 50,000 crore, slated to be India’s biggest-ever indigenous project, faces an uncertain future. The Ministry of Defence (MoD) is contemplating scrapping the current tender and restarting anew. This comes after sitting for two years on the FICV proposals from three private sector consortia and one public sector entity. In early 2010, the MoD invited Tata Motors, the Mahindra Group, Larsen & Toubro and the Ordnance Factory Board (OFB) to submit proposals to develop an FICV. However, the Acquisitions Wing of the MoD wishes to cancel and refloat the tender as in the first place, it did not define the criteria by which the winners would be selected. Cancellation of the tender at this stage and re-tendering would mean further delay as also would result a serious loss of credibility apart from heavy financial loss to the bidders who have participated in the tender. India’s private sector defence industry is not enthused by this development.