Anand Mahindra, head of the Mahindra Group, said on Saturday that his company’s wholly-owned subsidiary, Mahindra Defence Systems (MDS), has started sending out ‘Armado,’ an Armoured Light Specialist Vehicle (ALSV) made for the Indian military.
“At #MahindraDefence, we just started sending out India’s first armored light specialist vehicle, the Armado. Designed, made, and developed with pride in India for our military. In a tweet, the businessman said, “Jai Hind.”
He also thanked people who worked on the project, including SP Shukla, who is the head of Mahindra Defence, and Sukhvindar Hayer and his team.
My gratitude to Sukhvinder Hayer & his entire team who made this project a reality through their patience, persistence & passion… 👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽 pic.twitter.com/wYttXVMKKq
— anand mahindra (@anandmahindra) June 17, 2023
Hayer is a veteran of the Army. According to his LinkedIn page, he served for more than 25 years and left the Army voluntarily in 2007 with the rank of Colonel. He is the executive director and chief executive officer (CEO) of Defence Land Systems India (DLSI), which is also a Mahindra company.
Here is, meanwhile, all you need to know about Armado:
Armado is a fully indigenous vehicle that can hold a driver and five passengers, according to the company’s website. The ASLV can carry an extra 400 kg on top of the normal 1,000 kg load capacity.
It is a modular car that can be used to fight terrorism, go on raids in open areas and deserts, and do reconnaissance. Special forces and quick reaction teams can also use it for normal missions, carrying weapons, border patrolling, and other things.
It has B7 level and STANAG level-2 ballistic defense. This means that its armor can stop weapons that can break through armor. Also, the ASLV is protected from bullets and bombs on all sides (front, side, and back).
The four-wheeler is powered by a 3.2-liter multi-fuel diesel engine that can make up to 216 hp of power. A 4×4 system sends power to the wheels through an automated transmission with six speeds.
Armado can go from 0 to 160 km/h in just 12 seconds, and it can run at more than 120 km/h.
