INDIA ENTERS GLOBAL MARKET FOR SPECIAL VEHICLES
By Bulbul Singh
03 Feb 10. India has entered the global market to procure unspecified numbers of high utility all-terrain vehicles for the Indian Army.
The vehicles are to be used by Indian Army Special Forces and as such they should be fast enough to operate behind enemy lines.
The Indian defence ministry has sent Request For Information(RFI) to several domestic and overseas defence companies to participate in the competition.
The RFI has been sent to General Dynamics of United States, Rosoboronexport of Russia, Ukrainexport of Ukraine, Bumar of
Poland, BAE Systems of United Kingdom and Rheinmetall Defence of
Germany.
The RFI has also been sent to Mahindra Defence, Tata Motors, Vectra Motors, Force Motors, Concord and state-owned Ordnance Factories Board [OFB].
The special operations vehicles, with a capability to carry 12 armed troops, should be able to ply in snow-bound areas, marshes, creeks, beaches and deserts and also operate in high-altitude areas. The vehicles will also be used to cross crevasses.
The other Indian Army requirements for the vehicles include track and wheeled systems and be equipped with convertible rack and seat system. Besides, the vehicles should be equipped with a Global Positioning System powered by its own electrical systems, wind and temperature tachometer, fire extinguisher, external storage facility for rappelling ropes, ice aces, pick axes and shovels, along with two 20-litre warming fuel cans would be additional features of the vehicle. Other attachments to the vehicle include all-way blade, rotary snow blower, snow cutter and tilt trailer. The total value of the contract for the purchase of specialised vehicles is over $2 billion to be spent in the next five years.
Indian Army requirements include four wheel drive; high power-to-weight ratio vehicles and capability to travel at 80 kilometers per hour and carry rocket launchers and Global Positioning System navigation systems.
However, the procurement process has been slow. The Indian Army’s quest to procure Light bullet proof vehicles has already received a setback, as none of the vendors qualified in the technical trials.
The vendor trials did not come up to the specifications of the Qualitative Requirements (QRs) for the bullet proof vehicles as drawn by the Indian Army.
In June 2008, the Indian defence ministry issued a tender for the purchase of 817 light bullet proof vehicles. The tender was issued only to domestic private sector automobile majors including Mahindra Defence, Tata Motors, Vectra Motors, Force Motors and Concord and state-owned Ordnance Factories Board which administers the 39 state-owned weapon and equipment factories here.
In another setback to the competitive bidding for vehicles, the
Indian Army had to resort to buying unspecified numbers of Stryker Armoured Personnel Carriers from General Dynamics of United States, as only one bidder from Ukraine had applied leading to the cancellation of the tender as the Indian policy discourages purchases when only one competitor is there. The tender has still to be formally inked. In this tender bids had been sent to defence companies – General Dynamics of United States, Rosoboronexport of Russia, Ukrainexport of Ukraine, Bumar of Poland, BAE Systems of United Kingdom and Rheinmetall Defence of Germany.
The Indian Army requires mobile and secure APCs to be used by special forces and replace its existing Russian BMP-1 and BMP-2 armoured personnel carriers.