Indian Army deploys Armado light vehicles near LoC

The Armado LSV (pictured above) is equipped with an in-service Global Positioning System (GPS), detachable and adjustable modular racks, an automatic grenade launcher, an electric winch, a high-frequency radio, and screen and window mesh protection. (MDSL)

The Indian Army has deployed an unknown number of 4×4 Light Specialist Vehicles (LSVs) known as Armado in the Rajouri-Poonch sector near the Line of Control (LoC) with Pakistan, Lieutenant Colonel Suneel Bartwal, the Indian Ministry of Defence's (MoD's) Public Relations Officer (PRO) for Jammu region, told Janes on 3 January.

“The vehicles have been inducted and deployed in the service [Indian Army] in the Rajouri-Poonch sector,” Lt Col Bartwal said.

However, Lt Col Bartwal did not specify the number of vehicles inducted and deployed, citing security issues.

The vehicles are manufactured by Indian company Mahindra Defence Systems Ltd (MDSL).

In June 2023 Colonel Manish Kumar (retd), MDSL head of sales and marketing for land systems, told Janes that the first batch will comprise 40 Armados.

The Indian Army signed a contract worth INR10.56 billion (USD126.78 million) with MDSL in March 2021 to procure 1,300 LSVs. The service plans to induct all vehicles by 2025.

The Indian Army has been facing several militant attacks in the Rajouri-Poonch sector, claiming the lives of 41 soldiers – nine in 2021, six in 2022, and 26 in 2023 – since 2021, according to Janes data.

On 22 December 2023 the Indian Army suffered four casualties in a militant attack on two army vehicles, raising a question about the safety standards of troop carrier vehicles in service with the army.