Articulated All-Terrain Vehicles

• Context: The Indian Army has recently issued a Request For Information (RFI) for the supply of Articulated All-Terrain Vehicles to be deployed in Ladakh and Kutch.
• Articulated All-Terrain Vehicle is a twin cabin, tracked, amphibious carrier for off road mobility.
• It is specially designed so that this equipment exerts low ground pressure on the soil and a pull-push mode of locomotion between two cabins facilitates mobility over varied terrains like snow, desert and slush.
• There is a ballistic protection in the cabin body that ensures protection to troops travelling in it from small arms fire.
• These vehicles are very useful to move troops or supplies in snow-bound terrains and in marshy/sandy environments. They can reach where wheeled vehicles cannot and can be very effective for patrolling and rapid deployment in operational situations.
• There are several Western manufacturers of Articulated All-Terrain Vehicles including Canada and Finland. The NASU vehicle of Finland is used by the Finnish, French, Belgian and the US Armies.

Source:

• Explained: What are Articulated All-Terrain Vehicles, and why does Indian Army need them?

Image source:

• The Small Unit Support Vehicle (SUSV): The U.S. Army's Arctic All-Terrain Vehicle