In news– Recently, the Indian Army has issued a Request For Information (RFI) for the supply of Articulated All-Terrain Vehicles to be deployed in Ladakh and Kutch.
About Articulated All-Terrain Vehicles-
- Articulated All-Terrain Vehicle is a twin cabin, tracked, amphibious carrier for off road mobility.
- The special design of this equipment exerts low ground pressure on the soil and a pull-push mode of locomotion between two cabins facilitates mobility over varied terrains like snow, desert and slush.
- A ballistic protection in the cabin body ensures protection to troops travelling in it from small arms fire.
- These vehicles are very useful to move troops or supplies in snow-bound terrains and in marshy/sandy environments.
- They can reach where wheeled vehicles cannot due to deep snow, slush or marshy terrain and can be very effective for patrolling and rapid deployment in operational situations.
- The RFI document specified that 12 vehicles need to be supplied to Nimu in Ladakh (snow-bound area) and six to Bhuj (marshy terrain) in Gujarat.
- There are several Western manufacturers of Articulated All-Terrain Vehicles including Canada and Finland.
- The NASU vehicle of Finland is used by the Finnish, French, Belgian and US Armies among others.
- The Bandvagn 206 is used by the Swedish Army and was developed by a Swedish Company which is now part of BAE Systems, Platforms and Services.
- The British and US militaries also use the Bandvagn 206.
- The Russian Army uses the DT-30 Vityaz vehicle and GAZ 3344 manufactured in the country.
Source: The Indian Express
