Army Starts Purchase Of 800 Light-armoured Multipurpose Vehicles For Recce And Vigil Amid LAC Deadlock

The Army has started the process of acquiring about 800 light-armoured multipurpose vehicles (LAMV) in order to deploy them along the northern borders, particularly in the mountainous terrains and snow-covered areas of eastern Ladakh and north Sikkim, for reconnaissance and surveillance tasks as well as electronic warfare when necessary. This is being done in the midst of the ongoing standoff between India and China at the Line of Actual Control (LAC).

The Army stated in a request for information (RFI) that the vehicles will be purchased from Indian suppliers, particularly those that have been domestically conceived, developed, and produced. The document said that the suppliers should be able to complete the projects within three years of the contract’s award, with an average of 300 deliveries each year.

The trucks will also be used along India’s western border with Pakistan, in the plains and deserts, in addition to its northern boundaries. The reconnaissance and surveillance platoons of the mechanised infantry as well as the reconnaissance units of the armoured regiments will use them.

According to the RFI, the vehicles should be sufficiently mobile and offer the required protection for the soldiers while they are engaged in reconnaissance and constant surveillance, using high-tech drones for gathering intelligence and battlefield surveillance radars and thermal imagers.

Additionally, they must be able to transport war loads, which may contain tools for various operational duties such as weapons, ammunition, and surveillance and communication systems.

The RFI has proposed two different LAMV versions, one with basic features and the other with more complex ones, each with their own set of technical requirements.

The advanced version should feature an integrated targeting and surveillance system, which might comprise a continuous unmanned tied surveillance system, a surveillance drone, and a loitering munition to hit targets.

WHY THE VEHICLES ARE REQUIRED

A significant number of LAMVs are needed because the northern borders demand sharper and more precise observation, and the LAC is expanding its use of both old and new surveillance technology.

Defence authorities explained the significance of the purchase by stating that the reconnaissance and surveillance platoons of the mechanised infantry and the reconnaissance soldiers of the armoured regiments operate in front of the columns.

They are responsible with obtaining information on enemy tank and infantry combat vehicle buildup and are described as the “eyes and ears” of the mechanised infantry battalions and armoured regiments.

According to the source, there has been a long-standing need to acquire specially armoured vehicles for the personnel doing this specialised mission.

They previously drove different types of automobiles. However, these specially designed vehicles equipped with cutting-edge technology were required to handle the operational requirements required of the soldiers of mechanised infantry battalions and armoured regiments, according to a second officer. The newest catalyst could have been the state of affairs at the northern borders.