Its primary function is research and development of various light tracked, wheeled and specialised vehicles for defence applications.
[1] The history of Vehicle Research & Development Establishment dates back to 1929, with the inception of Chief Inspectorate of Mechanical Transport (CIMT) at Chaklala now in Pakistan.
A detachment of VRDE was created at Avadi, Madras in 1966, to assist in a production of main battle tanks at Heavy Vehicles Factory, Avadi which eventually led to the formation of CVRDE and further bifurcation of roles.
The National Centre for Automotive Testing (NCAT), a separate division of VRDE, provides for vehicle testing and evaluation requirements of defence services as well as automotive industry.
[9][10] National Centre of Excellence for Combustion and Gasification (NCECG) is also being established.