India's Continuing Search for Special Vehicles for Forces

Indian armed forces are checking out several options available, both from the domestic and foreign industry, to provide a means of quick transport to small teams for specialist operations by its troopers. The search is on for different types of special vehicles, reports GEOPOLITICS Bureau.

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Indian armed forces' quest for specialist vehicles for enabling movement of its troopers to execute special operations is growing, with several thousand vehicles in its procurement wish list. The search for such specialist vehicles that can carry a small number of troopers, as a special operations team, has been continuing for close to a decade now.

The first such bid began in July 2010 when the Indian Army issued a request for information for procuring an unspecified number of light specialist vehicles for all its arms in a weight class category having not more than 3500Kg unladen weight with a pay load capacity of 900-1200 kg.

The light specialist vehicle was envisaged for roles ranging from reconnaissance to patrolling by troopers of all arms and it was mentioned in the request for information that the light specialist vehicle should provide space and cross mobility in all terrains, including high altitude up to 9,000 feet and desert for small parties or teams of approximately six troopers to operate independently in the battlefield.

However, that effort in 2010 did not progress much for about two years. However, the Army cancelled the request for information, after Indian private players like Mahindra and Tata Motors, showed interest in the Light Specialist Vehicle programme, though it was not called the 'Make in India' programme at that time. The two Indian companies offered their own models to the Indian Army.