Mahindra Defence Systems ( MDS ), a Mahindra & Mahindra-led armoured vehicles manufacturing wing has been awarded a major contract by the Ministry of Defence, Government of India which involves the production of 1300 Light Specialist Vehicles ( LSV ) which are advanced tactical armoured vehicles. The deal is worth INR 1,056 crores and the 1300 vehicles are planned to be inducted into the army over 4 years starting from 2021.
More details –
It is understood that LSVs manufactured by various manufacturers were invited for the final gruesome testing. The training procedures were carried out across a lot of different terrains to check the real capabilities, reliability, performance and strength of these LSVs. Out of all others, MDS LSV was the vehicle that passed all the parameters which included field, technical and ballistic trials.
Amongst the indigenous players, Mahindra and Tata, apart from delivering some great production vehicles, have also played their part in serving the defence services. Mahindra Defence Services have indigenously developed this meeting the exact standards set by the army. As the OEM, MDS also has the necessary IP and capabilities in all aspects from the development of the LSV Variants to complete lifecycle support.
The MDS LSV is said to be an exactly agile vehicle, just what an armoured vehicle should be like. The LSV offers 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, MDS said.
One version of Mahindra’s Light Specialist Vehicle is already in service with the Indian Battalion deployed for the UN Peacekeeping mission in Africa. MDS says that other 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.
Gone are the days when we had to exclusively depend on foreign governments for the procurement of such vehicles and systems. Our indigenous manufacturers are making us proud and have offerings that are on par with any other systems or vehicles, acing every test parameter and just look at those beasts, that’s a nasty sight to have on a battlefield or in your rearview mirrors or in your binoculars.
Official statement –
SP Shukla, Chairman, Mahindra Defence Systems, said, “This contract truly signifies the success of the Atmanirbhar Bharat initiative. It is the first major contract for the advanced armoured tactical vehicles that are designed and developed by the 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.”