TSAMTO, July 5th. The Indian company Armored Vehicle Nigam Limited (ANVL) plans to organize licensed production of the Russian armored vehicle class MRAP K-53949 "Typhoon-K".
This was announced on July 4 on the X network by Rishav Gupta, an employee of the Indian Administrative Service (IAS), which is the administrative division of the All India Services of the Government of India.
According to the official, the tests of the Russian armored car have now been completed and a contract is expected to be signed in the near future. Rishav Gupta also posted several photos of the K-53949 Typhoon-K as part of a convoy along with other ANVL armored vehicles with 4x4 and 6x6 wheelbase during tests in India.
As already reported by CAMTO, the Indian Army Command plans to purchase about 800 light multi-purpose armored vehicles (LAMVS) for use in high-altitude areas, plains and deserts.
The Request for Information (RFI), which is the initial stage of the tender procedure, was published on July 1, 2022 in order to finalize the requirements, determine the procurement category and potential Indian suppliers capable of implementing the project and delivering armored vehicles within 36 months from the date of signing the contract. India's military is planning to purchase 300 LAMV armored vehicles per year.
As planned, they will be used by reconnaissance units of mechanized and armored units of the Indian Army. The RFI mentioned two different versions of LAMV: one with basic functions, and the other with more complex ones, each with its own set of technical requirements.
The LAMV of the first version should be a 4x4 right-hand drive car that meets the requirements of STANAG-4569 Level.1 in all projections, including the bottom, doors, windshield and window panes. The crew consists of at least 4 people, including the driver. The machine must transport a payload weighing 1.25 tons, reach a maximum speed of 100 km/ h on the highway (35-45 km / h km / h on rough terrain), a power reserve of up to 400 km (200 km on rough terrain).
The LAMV of the second version should be a right-hand drive car that meets the requirements of STANAG-4569 Level.2 in all projections, including the bottom, doors, windshield and window panes. The calculation is 4 people. The machine must transport a payload weighing 2 tons, reach a maximum speed of 100 km/ h on the highway (50-70 km / h on rough terrain), a power reserve of up to 400 km (200 km on rough terrain). The machine should provide the ability to integrate reconnaissance and airborne weapons with a 12.7 mm machine gun.
As planned, the purchase of new systems will be carried out in the category "Purchase of designed, developed and manufactured in India" (Indian-IDDM – Indian-indigenously designed, developed and manufactured) "Defense Procurement Procedures 2020" (DAP 2020).
LAMV vehicles must have high mobility and provide protection for the crew, as well as transport various combat loads, including 7.62/12.7 mm caliber weapons, ammunition, surveillance equipment (ground target detection radar, thermal imagers on a retractable mast) and communications necessary to complete the tasks.
It is planned to use the equipment in flat and desert areas, as well as in high-altitude snow-covered areas of eastern Ladakh and northern Sikkim (at altitudes up to 5000 m). The vehicles, in particular, will have to provide early detection of the enemy using integrated UAVs. The improved version should be equipped with an integrated surveillance and target designation system, which may include tethered UAVs, reconnaissance UAVs and barrage ammunition for hitting targets.
Thus, the K-53949 Typhoon-K, which is in service with the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation and meets the above requirements, may become a potential candidate to meet the needs of the Indian armed forces in this project. According to the information Armyrecognition.com In addition to ANVL, Ashok Leyland, Kalyani Strategic Systems, Tata and Mahindra have also submitted applications for participation in it.
Armored Vehicles Nigam Limited (AVNL) is a state–owned defense enterprise established in 2021 with headquarters in Awadi, Chennai. AVNL has become a key player in India's defense sector and is expected to unveil a prototype advanced Infantry Fighting Vehicle (FICV) in 2024. The company is the manufacturer of the Arjun MBT.
ANVL has extensive experience in cooperation with the Russian defense industry. Its enterprises produced the T-90 Bishma MBT, T-72, bridge-laying machines based on the T-72, as well as numerous special machines based on the T-72 platform.
Typhoon is a family of high–security armored vehicles developed by a collaboration of more than 120 enterprises. The cars of the family are produced with wheel formulas 6x6 (KAMAZ-63969) and 4x4 (KAMAZ-53949), have high combat and operational characteristics (mobility, security, combat power, design and ergonomics).
KAMAZ-53949 Typhoon-K is designed to solve the tasks of comprehensive support for combined arms and special units, including peacekeeping formations, in various conditions. It can be used for the transportation of personnel and military cargo, as well as as a base chassis for the installation of various technical systems and weapons. It has high indicators of management efficiency, speed, cross-country ability and maneuverability on all types of roads and terrain. It is capable of forcing fords up to 1.50 m deep without prior preparation, climbing slopes with an angle of up to 30 degrees.
Diesel engines with a capacity of 350 and 450 hp and automatic transmissions allow cars to reach speeds of at least 100 km/h on the highway and pass up to 1000 km without refueling. The hydropneumatic suspension used on the entire family of cars provides high smoothness and effective damping of vibrations, allowing both automatically and forcibly changing the characteristics of suspension stiffness, the amount of ground clearance, and adjusting the position of the body relative to the roadway. Automatic adjustment of the ground clearance is carried out depending on the speed of the car, the quality of the road surface and the driving style of a particular person.
Cars of the Typhoon-K family provide high mine and ballistic protection. Special seats, along with other design features, reduce the effects of the shock wave on the crew and troops when detonating an explosive device equivalent to 8 kg of TNT under any wheel and anywhere under the bottom of the car. A high level of ballistic protection is provided by a "sandwich" of internal conventional armor steel and external ceramic armor of a new generation.
