Indian Defence orders 1,300 light specialist vehicles (LSVs) from Mahindra Defence in a contract worth RS1056 crore. While Mahindra and Mahindra is a renowned passenger car manufacturer that offers well-sorted SUVs and MPVs, the company also builds products for use by India’s defence forces.
Follow Army Recognition on Google News at this link

LSV Light Specialist Vehicle (Picture source: Mahindra Defence)

The armored LSV has been tested against 7.62 x 51mm bullets and HE36 hand grenade blasts. It has also been put through many survivability tests and has been a part of the Government Defence Force’s test program that lasted for almost 18 months. It offers a Level I ballistic protection that can easily be upgraded up to level B7 and STANAG Level II.

The Mahindra LSV offers a load-carrying capacity of 400 kg. It has also been provided with large storage space for various weapons and can accommodate four crew members. The vehicle is powered by a Steyr 3.2-litre, 6-cylinder multi-fuel turbodiesel engine that develops 215HP at 3,600 rpm and a peak torque of 500Nm. The engine is coupled to a 4-speed automatic transmission, with a 6-speed automatic being offered as optional.

The Mahindra LSV has a payload capacity of 1,000 kg and comes with features like a central tire inflation system with 50 km run-flat system on all five wheels as per FINABEL standard. It also has an all-wheel independent suspension system that comes from Bilstein. There is also a self-recovery winch. The vehicle has a top speed of 120 km/h and can accelerate from 0 to 60 km/h in roughly 12 seconds.

LSV Light Specialist Vehicle in olive green (Picture source: Mahindra Defence)

 
LSV Light Specialist Vehicle (Picture source: Mahindra Defence)

LSV Light Specialist Vehicle (Picture source: Mahindra Defence)