In news– Recently, the Indian Army has floated a Request for Information (RFI) to purchase Protected Mobility Vehicles (PMV) for high-altitude areas and for deserts and plains.
About Protected Mobility Vehicles (PMV)-
- The PMV is essentially a wheeled armoured personnel carrier.
- It provides protection to the soldiers travelling inside the vehicle from mine blasts and sudden attack by small arms.
- The troops in these vehicles could be members of any quick reaction team heading to a point of conflict, or members of patrolling parties heading to border areas.
- The Army floated an RFI for information from vendors for PMV to deploy in areas above the height of 4000 metres and for deserts and plains.
- PMVs must have ballistic protection and should be able to protect the vehicle from grenade and mine blasts.
- It should have a maximum speed of 90 km on road and 40 km per hour on cross country terrain.
- They should be able to operate in temperature ranges of 40 degree centigrade to minus 15 degree in high-altitude areas.
- The vehicles are required to have a weapon mount to enable a 7.62 mm Light Machine Gun (LMG) to be fitted and a turret with 360 degree rotation for a LMG.
- It is also required to have 11 firing ports with five each on the starboard and port side of the vehicle and one at the rear.
- The PMV should be able to ford in water with depth of 1000 mm without any special preparation.
- In April 2022, the Tata Advanced Systems Limited (TASL) handed over the first of such Infantry Protected Mobility Vehicles (IPMVs) to the then Chief of Army Staff, Gen MM Naravane.
- The TASL is now the first private sector company in the country to produce such wheeled armoured personnel carriers and has developed the IPMV in collaboration with the DRDO.
Source: The Indian Express
