L&T partners with BAE to make all-terrain vehicle for Indian Army

Larsen & Toubro (L&T) and BAE Systems have partnered to bring an all-terrain vehicle, the BvS10, to the Indian market. The two companies have signed an agreement to offer the BvS10 for an Indian Armed Forces programme.

Under the agreement, L&T is the prime bidder for the Indian market, with the support of BAE Systems Hägglunds, the Swedish manufacturer of the BvS10 family of vehicles. BAE Systems and L&T claim that they 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 Articulated All-Terrain Vehicle (AATV) programme aims to deliver vehicles from L&T's Armoured Systems Complex, Hazira along with integrated logistic support (ILS).

"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," says Tommy Gustafsson-Rask, managing director of BAE Systems Hägglunds. "Our teaming with Larsen & Toubro gives us the opportunity to expand into the Indo-Pacific market."

Larsen & Toubro sees this opportunity as an impetus for L&T's Armoured Systems business to build on the 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," says Arun Ramchandani, executive vice president and head of L&T Defence. "The BvS10-Sindhu is the ideal vehicle for the extremely challenging terrain and climatic conditions in which it is proposed to be deployed."

The BvS10 vehicle on display at Defence and Security Equipment International (DSEI) in London this week features a Mobile Short Range Air Defense system (MSHORAD) configuration. "This demonstrates the versatility of the vehicle, evolving into a modular fighting platform which can carry a broad array of payloads addressing almost any threat in the modern operating environment without impacting the under-armor volume," the construction giant says in a statement.

The BvS10 provides 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. It comes in multiple variants that include transporting personnel, command and control, ambulance service, vehicle repair and recovery, logistics support, situational awareness, as well as vehicle-mounted lethality and support systems.

This vehicle is currently in service in Austria, France, the Netherlands, Sweden, and the United Kingdom among others.

The partnership comes two months after L&T signed an agreement with Spain-based Navantia to bid for the Indian Navy's P75 submarine programme. The project is expected to be valued at over ₹43,500 crore.

For the quarter ended June, L&T clocked a 46.5% year-on-year (YoY) growth in consolidated net profit at ₹2,493 crore from ₹1,702 crore in the corresponding quarter of the previous year. Revenue stood at ₹47,882 crore for Q1 FY24, recording a year-on-year growth of 34%.