A fully-indigenous machine, Armado is the country's first Armoured Light Specialist Vehicle (ALSV), said Anand Mahindra, chairman, Mahindra Group

Mahindra Group chairman Anand Mahindra announced on Saturday that Mahindra Defence Systems (MDS), a wholly-owned subsidiary of his company, has started deliveries of ‘Armado,’ an Armoured Light Specialist Vehicle (ALSV) built for the Indian armed forces.

“At #MahindraDefence, we have just begun deliveries of the Armado – India's 1st Armoured Light Specialist Vehicle. Designed, developed & built with pride in India for our armed forces. Jai Hind,” the industrialist said in a tweet.


He also thanked people associated with the project: Mahindra Defence chairman SP Shukla, as well as Sukhvindar Hayer and team.

Hayer, it must be noted, is an Army veteran; according to his LinkedIn profile, he spent more than 25 years with the force and, in 2007, took voluntary retirement at the rank of Colonel. He is the executive director and CEO at Defence Land Systems India (DLSI), another Mahindra subsidiary.

Here is, meanwhile, all you need to know about Armado:

1. A fully-indigenous vehicle, Armado can accommodate a driver and 5 passengers, the manufacturer noted on its website, adding that above the standard 1,000 kg load capacity, the ASLV can carry another 400 kg.

2. A modular vehicle, it can be used in counter-terrorism operations, raids in open and desert terrains, and reconnaissance missions. Special forces and quick reaction teams, too, can use it, doing so for conventional operations, weapon-carrying, border patrolling etc.

3. It gets ballistic protection up to the B7 level and STANAG level-2. This means that its armour offers protection against armour-piercing rifles. Also, the ASLV gets protection on all sides (front, side and rear) from ballistics and explosives.

4. Powering the 4-wheeler is a 3.2-litre multi-fuel diesel engine that generates 216 hp of maximum power. A 6-speed automatic gearbox sends power to the wheels through a dedicated 4x4 system.

5, Armado takes just 12 seconds to accelerate from 0 to 160 kmph, and runs at a speed of more than 120 kmph.