Indian Army to Get 1,300 Made-in-India Armoured Light Combat Vehicles by Mahindra Defence
The defence ministry has awarded it a major contract for manufacturing of armoured tactical vehicles for the Indian Army for their recce and weapon carrier requirements, Mahindra Defence Systems Limited (MDS) announced in a regulatory filing on Tuesday.
The contract to manufacture 1300 armoured tactical vehicles is worth ₹1,056 crore and the Army plans to complete the induction of the vehicles in four years commencing in 2021, Mahindra Defence said.
Mahindra Defence said it has indigenously designed and developed the light specialist vehicle (LSV). These combat vehicles are extremely agile with all round protection against small arms fire and will assist small independent detachments which are required to operate this weapon platform in the operational area, the MDS add.
Mahindra Defence chairman SP Shukla said, “This contract truly signifies success of Atmanirbhar Bharat initiative. It is the first major contract for the advanced armoured tactical vehicles that are designed and developed by private sector in India with intellectual property rights within the country. This contract paves the way for large scale adoption of Indian platforms with indigenous capabilities.”
The contract will provide a further boost to ‘Make in India’ initiative of the government, the defence ministry said adding that the modular design of the vehicle makes it future proof. The company has the necessary IP and capabilities in all aspects from the development of the LSV variants to complete life cycle support, it further added.
The LSV has undergone rigorous and elaborate trial procedure carried out by the Indian Army in different terrains including high altitude, deserts, and plains. Mahindra Defence LSV is the only vehicle that passed all the field, ballistics, and technical trials.
One version of the MDS LSV is already in service with Indian Battalion deployed in UN Peacekeeping mission in Africa.
Some friendly foreign countries have also sought details of this vehicle for their operations indicating the export potential of this armoured vehicle developed and made in India, Mahindra Defence said.
Source:- LiveMint
