[sajo]

Source

The Pune-based Force Motors, has announced that it has bagged a order from the Indian Army for supplying indigenously built Light Strike Vehicles (LSVs) that will be used by the armed forces for defense purposes.

The vehicle has been designed and developed by the R&D team of Force Motors, and claims the LSV boasts of higher speed and reliability. The OEM states that the LSVs not only uses the proven, rugged and reliable aggregates like engines and transmissions from the Force Motors’ stable but it is also uprated for the demanding applications of the Armed Forces.

Will it be based on the Gurkha, as the article mentions "proven" Force motors aggregates.
I say, this is a pretty good choice, can play the mountain goat role of the Gypsy well. The GS800/Safari can be the people mover choice, while the lighter, more agile Force LSV can be used for more hard-core duties.

PS : I thought this deserves a separate thread, hence not posting in the Gurkha thread, not even sure if it will be the Gurkha or an all new vehicle.

[excelinnovator]

Isn't it true that Force Motors Gurkha/Trax shares its tubular chassis design philosophy and several components with Mercedes G-Wagon?. There would have been very little utility of Humvee sized unarmoured vehicle for Indian army as these need to function in 'narrow track' conditions of Himalayas.
The original Steyr/Mercedes G-Wagon, Peugeot P-4 have served well in large number of armed forces around the world.
So for Indian Army, it will be Tata Safari for General Service and Force Motors LSV for combat roles. Now, there's need of 'armoured' and mine resistant vehicles which will be selected from models presented by Tata, Ashok Leyland and Mahindra.
On a related news, The French Army seems to have selected a Nissan derived vehicle for replacing Peugeot P-4s http://www.armyrecognition.com/may_2...army_soon.html (For history, before the Suzuki 4x4, Indian army used Nissan based Jonga).

[TusharK]

Force Motors has bagged an order to supply the Indian Army with new Light Strike Vehicles.



The Light Strike Vehicle has been designed and developed according to the requirements of the military. The design allows for quick ingress and egress. The vehicles can be airlifted and deployed as an advanced fast strike vehicle and have been designed for quick ingress and egress. They are equipped with run flat tyres and have provisions to mount machine guns and a rocket launcher.

The Light Strike Vehicle employs engines and transmissions from Force Motors' existing line up. They come with all-wheel drive and differential locks for all wheels. Prototypes of the Light Strike Vehicle have been tested over 2 years on tough terrain with temperatures ranging from -30 to 50 degrees Celsius.

Besides the new Light Strike Vehicle, the Indian Army is also testing Force Motors' engines on the new generation Dhanush Gun, which is expected to replace the Bofors Gun.

Link to Team-BHP News

[CARDEEP]

This is good news for Army as it reduces dependence on a few vendors, reducing running costs (diesel) without losing off-road ability..

But, in long run this means the company can dish out better products & can invest on expanding network with more money & visibility due to Defence orders.

[Rigid Rotor]

Here is a pic, ostensibly of the Light Strike Vehicle from Force Motors, as given in the website Autoportal.com
It appears to be genuine, with the front end incorporating blackout lamps, additional hooks and possibly a winch? The windshield is foldable - necessary for carriage inside IAF's medium-lift helicopters such as the Mi-171V. Those full-sized seats may not necessarily be used in the final version for the same reason.
Can any Team-BHP members can shed light on how Force Motors managed to live up the tough QC standards required to perform and survive in those gruelling Army trials? Knowing the Army, the vehicle must have been put through the 'meat-grinder' in the trials, especially in the tough Ladakh terrain with its 'Hot-and-High' conditions!!
The last true-blue 'go-anywhere' vehicle in the Army was the Nissan Patrol (Jonga). This vehicle has its task cut out with a formidable reputation to match....

[jeepster]

Originally Posted by Rigid Rotor

Here is a pic, ostensibly of the Light Strike Vehicle from Force Motors, as given in the website Autoportal.com

Its a old picture. (could be used for reference only)

Some more pics. (even older)

[TejasV]

Found this vehicle very close to the Naval base in Vizag. They looked stunning in flesh, couldn't place it so posting here

[WhiteSierra]

Originally Posted by TejasV

Attachment 2047891

They looked stunning in flesh, couldn't place it so posting here

It looks great, more like a mini Humvee in this angle. Had it been covered in metal instead of soft top, it'd have definitely been qualified as a mini humvee. So Indian army / navy has vehicles from Tata, Ashok leyland, Maruti Suzuki, Mahindra and Force Motors. All Indian brands.

[sudhiruiit]

Originally Posted by TejasV

Found this vehicle very close to the Naval base in Vizag. They looked stunning in flesh, couldn't place it so posting here

Just spotted this yesterday near Jhakri (Himachal) . It was the same shade of beige. Generally army gypsies are slow movers but I strugggled real hard to catch a glimpse of it from my swift, thats how much fast it is. Finally when I was able to go near it, it was so silent making me think maybe it was a petrol. And the stance of it may shame evrything present on road. Whats wierd was that it didn't had the usual nomenclature for vehicle identification used by army. It simply had a black stripe and 1658 written on it in usual army stencil.

[wheelguy]

Originally Posted by TejasV

Attachment 2047890

Attachment 2047891

Found this vehicle very close to the Naval base in Vizag. They looked stunning in flesh, couldn't place it so posting here

Spotting them frequently these days, in the exact same color. The most recent spotting was on Asilmetta road, they are going towards beach road. Yes, they do look stunning in person, didn't get an opportunity to take any pictures. What surprised me was the Trax badge at the rear.

[Sankar]

Why is the chassis different between the Army LSV and the civilian Gurkha? The Army LSV variant seems to retain the old tubular chassis which underpinned all Trax/Gurkha series till around 2016 before they moved to the box section chassis from 2017. If they are still supplying to the military which chassis?

[ellip5i5]

Have seen these in a shade of gray around PRTC/Training Command in Bangalore. Was always wondering which vehicle it might be. Will try and capture a picture next time around

[itwasntme]

QRT LSV at T2 BLR Airport.

[amsidhu]

As per latest news Force Motors Limited on Thursday has signed a major contract to supply Force Gurkha light vehicles (GS 4X4 800 kg Soft Top) to the Indian Army.

Vehicle looks identical to 5 door Gurkha with a soft top canopy at the rear.

M&M also has bagged similar contract. Total of 4964 vehicles ( both M&M and Force motors) to be delivered.