New Delhi: The Indian Army is looking at American armoured infantry combat vehicle Stryker as part of its procurement focused on the northern border with China, Army Chief General Upendra Dwivedi said Tuesday.
He said the Army would definitely go in for an Indian option if there is one.
“Stryker is one of the options we are looking at. Because we need a platform, we should be able to utilise it very well in the northern front,” he said speaking at his annual press conference in the national capital.
“And it should have all the capabilities in terms of protection, in terms of firepower, in terms of mobility. So, if there is an Indian option to it, we would prefer to go for the Indian option. If not, then definitely we are looking at other options also. Stryker is also one of those,” the Army Chief added.
ThePrint was the first to report, way back on 1 February 2023, that India and the US were in talks for the joint production of the eight-wheel-drive infantry fighting vehicle developed by General Dynamics Land Systems.
Sources said that if the deal is finalised, it will come with limited off-the-shelf purchase under the US’s foreign military sales (FMS) initiative and will then be followed by a co-production in India through a joint venture.
The Army is looking at procuring 530 infantry combat vehicles (ICVs) to equip its troops. One reason the Stryker is under consideration, according to the sources, is that Indian vendors are unable to meet the qualitative requirements (QR).
The sources said that one great factor working in Stryker’s favour is the fact that it can be easily slung under a Chinook and transferred, the same reason why India went in for limited numbers of the M777 guns which was the main weapon used by the Army to hit Pakistani terror and military positions during Operation Sindoor.
However, the Stryker also has its limitations. The Indian Army wants its planned ICV to be amphibious, something which the American vehicle is not.
Following certain trials, the Army has also sought a better power to weight ratio to help it navigate mountainous terrain like in Ladakh.
(Edited by Ajeet Tiwari)