On 5 June, the Indian Ministry of Defence (MoD) issued a request for information (RfI) seeking a new Mortar Specialist Vehicle (MSV), a platform intended to provide infantry battalions with highly mobile, automated, indirect-fire capabilities.
The army plans to deploy the new MSVs in the plains and in high-altitude terrain up to 4,500m high. They will operate along India’s northern borders (Jammu & Kashmir, Ladakh, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh), where tensions with China continue to simmer over border disputes.
The army views a mobile mortar capability as critical to enhancing infantry fire support through improved mobility, responsiveness and accuracy.
Army infantry battalions currently rely on manually operated mortars for indirect fire support. The accuracy of these weapons depends heavily on crew proficiency, with errors in laying and fire control potentially reducing first-round effectiveness, and also increasing ammunition expenditure.
The MSV procurement seeks to automate mortar operations in order to improve accuracy and to reduce engagement times.
The MSV will be based on a 4×4 platform with a universal mount for 81mm or 120mm mortars (one launch tube per vehicle). Vehicles will carry 54 rounds of ammunition.
A minimum vehicle service life of 150,000km or 15 years is sought. Additionally, the army is seeking a modular solution capable of future upgrades and the integration of new systems.
The RfI quotes a gross vehicle weight in the range of 7,500-8,250kg, with a power-to-weight ratio of not less than 30hp per tonne. The vehicle must be air transportable on Indian Air Force CH-47F Chinook and Mi-17V-5 helicopters, and also be capable of being airdropped.
The RfI will inform staff qualitative requirements so a request for proposal can be issued at a later date. The vehicles are to be produced in India, and initial deliveries are expected within two years of contract award.
The Indian Army already operates 50 Vehicle-Mounted Infantry Mortar Systems (VMIMS) acquired under a fast-track procurement in January 2023, with deliveries completed in January 2024.
These in-service vehicles feature an NTGS Alakran-L automated 81mm mortar system mounted on a Mahindra Defence Systems 4×4 Armado Armoured Light Specialist Vehicle (ALSV). In March 2025, the army’s Trishakti Corps announced it had deployed these mobile mortar systems, locally designated as Airawat, in Sikkim on India’s eastern borders.
Asian Military Review reported in September 2025 that the Indian Army was seeking up to 3,000 VMIMS as part of a broader effort to modernise infantry indirect-fire capabilities. The MSV programme is clearly the next step in this renamed effort.
by Atul Chandra