To be modified and retrofitted to meet the Army’s specific operational requirements
Chandigarh, January 11
The Army is procuring 1,470 units ofScorpio, a popular SUV from Mahindra and Mahindra, which will be inducted in12 units. The SUV is already in use with the Air Force as well as the Central Armed Police Forces (CAFPs) and state police forces.
The Scorpio is expected to perform utility and staff transport duties that are presently being fulfilled by the Maruti Gypsy and Tata Safari light vehicles. Scorpios could also be modified and retrofitted to meet the Army’s specific operational requirements. According to some reports, Scorpio variants for the Army were spotted undergoing road tests in 2021, which had bullet proof windows and firing ports for small arms. Mahindra had also pitched an Army specific variant of the Scorpio a few years ago, which was presented at Defence Expositions.
As far as light vehicles go, the Army also uses the Tata Xenon and Sumo, Mahindra 550 jeep, Force Gurkha, Maruti Ciaz and Swift Dezire. In addition, it also has some specialist light armoured vehicles for use in counter insurgency areas.