BAE Systems, L&T team up to bring all-terrain vehicle to India

A global company and an Indian firm have joined hands to bring the world-leading Articulated All-Terrain Vehicle (AATV), the 'BvS10', to the Indian defence market, according to an official statement issued on Thursday.

BAE Systems and Larsen & Toubro have teamed up to bring the AATV to the country under the 'Make in India' programme, it said.

"The two companies have signed an agreement to offer the BvS10 for an Indian armed forces programme", the statement said.

Under the agreement, L&T is the prime bidder for the Indian market, with the support of BAE Systems Hagglunds, the Swedish manufacturer of the highly successful BvS10 family of vehicles.

"BAE Systems and L&T have upgraded the BvS10 to meet the specific requirements of the Indian armed forces. This new variant will be known as the 'BvS10-Sindhu'. The AATV programme aims to deliver vehicles from L&T's Armoured Systems Complex, Hazira along with integrated logistic support (ILS)," the statement said.

"Our BvS10 all-terrain vehicle will demonstrate the critical capabilities the Indian Army needs when it participates in the trials later this month. Unsurpassed mobility, flexibility and the ability to work in extreme climatic conditions are at the core of BvS10 design," Tommy Gustafsson-Rask, Managing Director of BAE Systems Hagglunds, was quoted as saying in the statement.

"Our teaming with Larsen & Toubro gives us the opportunity to expand into the Indo-Pacific market."

Larsen & Toubro said it sees this opportunity as an impetus for L&T's Armoured Systems business to build on the aegis of a strong manufacturing and design base coupled with the experience of BAE Systems.

"L&T and BAE Systems' tie-up synergises our strengths to provide a solution to meet the requirements of the Indian Army," Arun Ramchandani, Executive Vice President & Head, L&T Defence, was quoted as saying in the statement.

"The BvS10-Sindhu is the ideal vehicle for the extremely challenging terrain and climatic conditions in which it is proposed to be deployed," the statement said.

The BvS10 vehicle on display at Defence and Security Equipment International (DSEI) in London this week features a Mobile Short Range Air Defence system (MSHORAD) configuration, it added.

The BvS10's articulated mobility provides optimal manoeuvrability across varying terrains including snow, ice, rock, sand, mud, swamps, and steep mountain environments. The vehicle's amphibious features also allow it to swim in flooded areas or coastal waters. It can deliver personnel and supplies as well as mounted lethality to address any threat in the modern operating environment, the statement said.

The vehicle is currently in service in Austria, France, the Netherlands, Sweden, and the UK, among others, it added.