The Indian Army‘s newest Request for Information (RFI) is inviting vendors to submit proposals for 198 8×8 wheeled APCs by February 17 next years. The vehicles are meant for a reconnaissance and support role in Punjab and Rajasthan. The 20-page RFI lists technical parameters that leave Russia and the US out of the game, as the BTR-82A and the Stryker both fail to match the army’s needs

Just two weeks are left for Indian vendors to submit responses to an Indian Army requirement for nearly 200 8x8 armoured vehicles.

The ‘Buy Indian’ RfI for wheeled armoured fighting vehicles reconnaissance and support (abbreviated to WH AFV [R&Sp]) closes on 1 April. It enunciated the need for 198 vehicles for army reconnaissance and support battalions located in the plains of Punjab and Rajasthan, regions along the Pakistani border.

The RfI was released on 22 November 2019. It mentioned the amphibious 8x8 solution ‘should be provided with high mobility, adequate armour protection and [an] armament configuration suitable to destroy enemy tanks and undertake local protection’. 

The Indian Army‘s newest Request for Information (RFI) is inviting vendors to submit proposals for 198 8×8 wheeled APCs by February 17 next year. The vehicles are meant for a reconnaissance and support role in Punjab and Rajasthan. The 20-page RFI lists technical parameters that leave Russia and the US out of the game, as the BTR-82A and the Stryker both fail to match the army’s needs.

The Indian army has the strongest mechanized forces in Asia with its estimated 4,000 main battle tanks (locally assembled T-72M1 Ajeyas and T-90S Bhismas) with an equal number of BMP-2 Sarath infantry fighting vehicles. By comparison, the Chinese PLA’s apparent strength in numbers is diminished by keeping so many aging vehicles in service. The appeal of wheeled APCs with either a 6×6 or 8×8 configuration is spaciousness and larger armaments such as automatic cannons matched with anti-tank missiles. Of course, mobility remains an issue for wheeled APCs, with fully independent suspension systems required if they’re to withstand rough travel.

The 8X8 APC described by the new RFI enumerated the following technical parameters:

  • Able to carry a 2-ton payload
  • Transportable by planes like the Ilyushin Il-76 Candid or Boeing C-17 Globemaster III
  • Amphibious with a fording speed of 10km/h
  • Minimum power-to-weight ratio of 25 hp/ton
  • Top speed of 80 km/h. Cruising speed of 30 km/h
  • Mechanical self-recovery winch fitted at the front of the vehicle
  • Armament includes a 30mm cannon, 7.62mm machine gun and two antitank guided missiles in a single turret
  • Additional 8 missiles carried inside, along with a portable ATGM launcher
  • Ballistic protection of STANAG III on the front arc, STANAG II (withstands assault rifles) on the sides, and mine blast protection is STANAG IIb
  • CBRNe protection, active and passive protection systems, and night fighting capability
  • Power assisted ramp at the back for rear access
  • Crew of four

The Indian Army’s separate plans for a Future Infantry Combat Vehicle (FICV) have meandered for over a decade without a contest even being triggered. Procedural delays and significant divergences on configuration have kept the program largely in the realm of paperwork since 2009, though the sheer size of the proposed requirement — nearly 3,000 vehicles to replace the Indian Army’s BMPs — has at least sustained interest from India’s private sector firms, including Mahindra and Mahindra, Reliance Defence, L&T, Tata Motors and Kalyani Defence. Indications are that a formal contest could kick off in the next few months reports renowned defence journalist Shiv Aroor.

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