As India celebrates its 75th Republic Day today, among the many highlights is the parade on Kartavya Path in New Delhi. The morning saw the parade showcase India’s rich cultural diversity, unity and progress through state tableaus and its military prowess on the back of increasing indigenous capabilities. Among the many armoured vehicles participating was the Mahindra Armado light specialist vehicle indigenously designed and developed by Mahindra Defence Systems (MDS), a wholly owned subsidiary of Mahindra & Mahindra.
In a tweet, Vinod Sahay, President, Mahindra Aerospace & Defense, Chief Purchase Officer, M&M, and Chairman, FICCI Committee of Defense & Homeland Security, said: “Bharat’s first Advance Light Specialist Vehicle proudly made its first Republic day appearance on Kartavya Path in its two avtars (LSV and VMIMS).”
In March 2021, Mahindra Defence Systems had been awarded a major contract for the manufacture of Armoured Tactical Vehicles (LSV) for the Indian Army for their recce and weapon carrier requirements. Production of the Mahindra Armado and the first deliveries to the armed forces began on June 16, 2023.
The Mahindra Armado is designed to be a modular-type vehicle which can be upgraded or configured to suit a wide variety of operational roles, according to Mahindra Defence Systems. The Armado offers ballistic protection up to B7, Stanag Level II.
The Armado can be used in counter-terrorist operations such as patrolling high-intensity areas, special forces operations and quick reaction teams. Other uses cases for the ALSV includes being a weapon carrier, a reconnaissance vehicle, a border security vehicle as well as being used in raids in open or desert terrain.
The Armado is powered by a 3.2-litre, turbocharged, direct-injection diesel engine that can also run on NATO-grade diesel. The engine develops 215hp and 500 Nm of torque and power is delivered to all four wheels via a 4-speed automatic gearbox. The Armado has a claimed top speed of over 120kph and a 0-60kph time of 12 seconds, and has a payload capacity of 1,000kg.
The Armado features Bilstein independent suspension for all four corners and gets 318/80-R17 tyres. The tyres can also run without air or a puncture for up to 50km and the Armado also gets a centralised tyre inflation system. It gets a power steering system and, interestingly, can be configured to be either left-hand drive or right-hand drive.
The Armado has a seating capacity of six passengers, including the driver, and can be configured to seat up to eight. It also gets a public address (PA) system, GPS, automatic grenade launcher, electric winch, HF/UHF/VHF radio as well as a self-cleaning-type exhaust scavenging and air filtration system for extremely dusty climates.
Main image: Mahindra Group(X)/DD Live
Other images: courtesy SP Shukla/Twitter
