Indian Army Selects BvS10 Sindhu as New All-Terrain Carrier for Himalayan Missions.

India has signed a licensed manufacturing contract with L and T to build 18 BvS10 Sindhu articulated all-terrain vehicles with support from BAE Systems Hägglunds. The compact buy strengthens mobility in Ladakh and the Rann of Kutch, two of India’s most demanding and strategically sensitive border zones.

Larsen & Toubro Limited, part of BAE Systems, announced on November 19, 2025, that the Indian Army has signed a licensed manufacturing contract for the BvS10 Sindhu articulated all-terrain vehicle, to be produced at L&T’s Armoured Systems Complex in Hazira with design and technical support from BAE Systems Hägglunds. The agreement also bundles an integrated logistics package for initial deployment, maintenance, and life cycle support under India’s Make in India framework.
Follow Army Recognition on Google News at this link

The BvS10 Sindhu is an articulated, amphibious all-terrain armored carrier that uses low-pressure tracks and a high-altitude diesel engine to move troops and mission payloads across deep snow, glaciers, soft sand and flooded marshes up to 18,000 feet (Picture source: BAE Systems).

Subsequent reporting indicates the deal covers 18 BvS10 Sindhu vehicles, all in troop carrier configuration, with deliveries required within two years of contract signing and at least 60% indigenous content. The Army’s articulated all-terrain vehicle requirement specified that 12 vehicles would be based at Nimu in Ladakh and 6 at Bhuj in Gujarat, intended for snow-bound Himalayan terrain and the marshes of the Rann of Kutch, respectively. In other words, this is a tightly focused mobility buy aimed at some of India’s most politically sensitive and physically border sectors.

The Sindhu sits within the broader BvS10 family: a tracked, twin module, fully amphibious carrier in which a front power unit is articulated to a rear mission module. The baseline BvS10 is around 8 meters long, 2.25 meters wide, and 2.45 meters high at the front cabin, with an all-up weight in the 8 to 9 ton class and seating for four soldiers in the front and eight in the rear. A Cummins 6.7-liter turbocharged diesel develops roughly 285 horsepower, driving rubber tracks through an automatic transmission to give road speeds of about 65 to 70 km/h, amphibious movement at roughly 5 km/h, and a range near 500 km. Armor in the standard armored variant is designed to defeat 7.62 mm threats and shell fragments, with modular kits available that raise protection to around STANAG 4569 Level 4 against 14.5 mm and add improved mine and blast resistance.

The Sindhu configuration goes beyond the baseline vehicle. Independent reporting indicates that the Indian variant receives a more powerful 350 hp engine and an enlarged turbocharger to preserve mobility in thin air at 15,000 to 18,000 feet. L&T’s own description emphasises an AATV capable of operating across plains, deserts, riverine, marshy, and high altitude environments, with the rear cabin reconfigurable for troop transport, command post, ambulance, counter-drone roles, or mortar carrier. Those adaptations sit directly on top of the BvS10’s articulated running gear and very low ground pressure, which allows it to cross deep snow, muskeg, and soft sand where conventional tracked infantry fighting vehicles quickly bog down. Operationally, it is best understood not as an IFV but as a protected, all-terrain logistics and support spine that can also host remote weapon stations and sensors.

India’s doctrinal requirement is spelled out in its own specifications: an articulated platform able to carry at least ten fully equipped soldiers, operate at 18,000 feet in glaciated and snow-bound areas, and traverse salty marshes, with a minimum 150 km range at altitude. The BvS10 Sindhu will give mountain brigades in Ladakh a protected alternative to the current mix of foot movement, light commercial snow vehicles, and road-bound BMP 2s for last-mile resupply, casualty evacuation, and rapid reinforcement of remote posts. In the Rann of Kutch, its amphibious capability and low ground pressure will allow movement across waterlogged salt flats that wheeled armored vehicles cannot risk. Over time, it is not difficult to see command, ISR, mortar, and short-range air defense variants appearing in Eastern Command’s Sikkim and Arunachal sectors and potentially with Andaman and Nicobar Command for island logistics and coastal security.

Compared with what the Indian Army already fields, the Sindhu fills a genuine gap rather than displacing an existing fleet. Wheeled protected mobility, such as the Kalyani M4, offers high speed and strong mine protection on roads and hard tracks in Ladakh, but axle loads, tires, and the lack of amphibious capability make deep snow, glacial approaches, and marshy ground marginal. By contrast, legacy Bv206-style carriers and light tracked all-terrain vehicles used by some Indian formations are unarmored, have limited growth margins, and lack the payload and protection for modern weapons and C4ISR kits. The BvS10 family, therefore, complements BMP 2s and future tracked IFVs, taking over the extreme terrain niche while heavier combat vehicles focus on valleys and roads.

The BvS10 is already operated by Austria, France, the Netherlands, Sweden, and the United Kingdom, has been supplied to Ukraine, and is on order for Germany under a trilateral production framework exceeding several hundred vehicles. The unarmored Beowulf derivative has been selected by the United States for its Cold Weather All-Terrain Vehicle program, underscoring the maturity of the underlying drivetrain and support system. That existing footprint limits India’s technical risk and gives the Sindhu a ready pool of partners for doctrine, interoperability, and future upgrades.

The industrial stakes are equally significant. L&T will conduct an end-to-end build at Hazira, already home to the K9 Vajra T howitzer line, while BAE Hägglunds provides design authority, know how and technical support under a technology transfer regime that requires more than 60 percent Indian content. BAE executives have argued that having a second production source in India improves security of supply for the global BvS10 family, while for New Delhi, the deal aligns with Atmanirbhar Bharat by giving a domestic integrator deeper experience in welded armored hulls, drive lines, and mission system integration for harsh environments.

On the competitive side, the programme is also a setback for rivals. In India’s trials, BvS10 Sindhu went head-to-head with the Talwar, an articulated vehicle from local firm Prominent Comtech whose design lineage traces back to ST Engineering’s Bronco and Warthog platforms. The Bronco family offers a curb weight around the 10-ton class, payload above 6 tons, and a V-shaped hull capable of supporting higher protection levels, but it has a narrower user base and a more limited international production network than the BvS10. India’s choice, therefore, aligns it with NATO customers and with global trends that see articulated vehicles procured in growing numbers for Arctic, mountain, and wetland operations.

An initial batch of 18 vehicles will not transform India’s order of battle by itself. It will, however, give the Army a test bed to refine tactics for articulated carriers in the Himalayas and coastal marshlands while anchoring a new industrial partnership at Hazira. If the Sindhu performs in Ladakh and Kutch as its Scandinavian pedigree suggests, follow-on orders could see the vehicle evolve from a niche experiment into a core enabler for India’s border posture on both the northern and western fronts.

Written by Evan Lerouvillois, Defense Analyst, Army Recognition Group.

Evan studied International Relations, and quickly specialized in defense and security. He is particularly interested in the influence of the defense sector on global geopolitics, and analyzes how technological innovations in defense, arms export contracts, and military strategies influence the international geopolitical scene.