Mahindra has been providing armoured and specialist vehicles for Indian security forces and various foreign missions including the UN for many years now. The Indian automaker forayed into the defence and aerospace sector nearly 75 years ago with the soft top Jeeps that initially served in the Indian Army.

The recently captured spy shots reveal the current-generation Scorpio with the windows sealed that is believed to be made of bulletproof material. The ‘Army Trial’ label on the rear windscreen suggests that the prototype is being tested for the exclusive use of defence forces.


Back in 2012, Mahindra had displayed a similar model by the name ‘Level 3 armoured Rakshak Plus’ which was essentially a Scorpio equipped with a gun mount on the roof with front and back protection plates, a surveillance camera with 360-degree surround view, run-flat tyres, five firing ports, fire suppression material in the fuel tank, and power steering. The vehicle was powered by the brand’s 2.2-litre m-Hawk diesel engine.

Recently, Mahindra Defence Systems Limited (MDS) bagged a contract from the Ministry of Defence (MoD) worth Rs 1,056 crore for manufacturing Armoured Light Specialist Vehicle (ALSV) for the Indian Army.