Considering the threats that India will face in future including terrorism and insurgencies besides conventional war, mobility will be a vital ingredient in capacity building both for defence and homeland security. Special vehicles are an essential part of the mobility that needs to be addressed.

Special Vehicles Manufactured in India have largely been in the heavy duty category to meet the requirements that have come up from time to time. These range from dozers, forklifts, cranes, earth moving plant, heavy duty carriers/trailers, power generation vehicles and the like. Similar was the case in the armed forces albeit heavy duty vehicles also modified as communications vehicle/signal centre, Commanders caravans, operations room vehicles, kitchen lorries and in recent years mine/IED proof vehicles with armour plating. Some special vehicles manufactured by Ashok Leyland are as follows:

In the light utility category, the light ambulance figured both in the civil and the military. The Indian military has not had a special vehicle in service for effective use at the tactical level in diverse terrain. For tactical level usage, the Army had to resort to ad hoc modifications of the Nissan Jonga, which has now been phased out. Such modifications ranged from mounting of machine guns, 106mm RCL guns, missile launchers, fitments to carry radio sets and equipment, Commander’s vehicle and modifications for long-range travel including in desert. Special Forces also resorted to modifications of one tonne vehicle that could carry 10 men with full combat loads. Phasing out of the Nissan Jonga brought in the Maruti Gypsy and the Mahindra Jeep into the Army. When compared to the Jonga, the Gypsy and Jeep are less rugged and being more compact can accommodate lesser modifications. Focus of this article is on special vehicles that can meet the tactical level requirements of the Indian security sector.

Humvee Category

The high mobility multipurpose wheeled vehicle (HMMWV or Humvee) is a special vehicle produced by AM General, USA. It has largely supplanted the roles formerly served by smaller Jeeps such and other light trucks. Primarily used by the US Military, it is also used by numerous other countries and even in civilian adaptations. There are at least 17 variants of the Humvee in service with the US Military. Humvee serves as cargo/troop carriers, automatic weapons platforms, ambulances (four or eight patients), TOW missile carriers, M119 howitzer prime movers, M1097 avenger pedestal mounted stinger platforms, MRQ-12 direct air support vehicles, S250 shelter carriers, and other roles. This special vehicle is capable of fording 2.5 ft (76 cm) normally, or 5 ft (1.5 m) with the deep-water fording kits installed. Some of the variants of the Humvee are as follows:

Optional equipment includes a winch (2,700 kg capacity) and supplemental armour. The M1025/M1026 and M1043/M1044 armament carriers provide mounting and firing capabilities for the Mk 19 grenade launcher, the M2 heavy machine gun, the M240G/B machine gun and M249 LMG. The M1114 “up-armoured” Humvee, introduced in 2004, also features a similar weapons mount. In addition, some M1114 and M1116 up-armoured and M1117 armoured security vehicle models feature a common remotely operated weapon station (CROWS), which allows the gunner to operate from inside the vehicle, and/or the Boomerang anti-sniper detection system. Recent improvements have also led to the development of the M1151 model, which is quickly rendering the previous models obsolete. In response to the vulnerability of HMMWVs operating in Iraq, up-armour kits were designed and installed on M998 Humvees. These kits include armoured doors with bullet-resistant glass, side and rear armour plates, and a ballistic windshield which offer greater protection from ballistic threats and simple IEDs. Humvee are fitted with combat identification panels to reduce the possibility of friendly fire during combat. Size of the Humvee does not lend itself to air transportation, limits ability for the vehicle to be manhandled out of situations and its width makes passage of two Humvee difficult on narrow roads. The US military is going in for commercial off-the-shelf vehicles as part of the mine resistant ambush protected (MRAP) programme. The long-term replacement for the Humvee is the joint light tactical vehicle. The future tactical truck systems (FTTS) have also been initiated to replace Humvee versions. Vehicles similar to Humvee have been produced by Russia (GAZ-2975 “Tigr”), Venezuela (Tiuna), Japan (Koukidousya), France (Renault Sherpa 2), Spain (URO VAMTAC), Philippines (MMPV) and Hummer of USA, entire Hummer series being civilian derivatives of the Humvee. In India, Mahindra has come up with the Mahindra Axe and Tata Motors with the light strike vehicle (LSV). Both are under the evaluation of the Army.