Mahindra Defence Systems has been awarded a major defence contract from the Ministry of Defence to manufacture armoured vehicles for the Indian army.
The Ministry of Defence (MoD) invited several other Indian companies to bid in an open tender. This included putting the light strike vehicles (LSV) through rigorous trials under different operating scenarios. The MDS LSV was the only vehicle in the tender that managed to pass all of the trials set up by the Indian army.
The tests conducted by the Indian army on the vehicles included trials in Field, Ballistics and Technicals as well as in different terrains such as high altitude, deserts and plains.
The MDS LSV has been completely designed and developed by Mahindra Defence Systems and as such the company has all the necessary IP and capabilities to offer full support for the vehicle. It has been designed around a modular architecture to keep it future proof and checks off all the standards required to make it to the Indian army.
Chairman of Mahindra Defence Systems, SP Shukla said, “This contract truly signifies 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.”
The armoured tactical vehicles are required by the Indian army mainly for their use in recce and weapon carrier operations. The contract is worth Rs 1,056 crore and the induction of the vehicles is expected to commence this year and be completed by 2025.
