Maruti Gypsy Makes a Comeback for Indian Army
The Indian Army has placed an order of 3,051 units of the Maruti Suzuki Gypsy SUV.
Maruti Suzuki has already stopped manufacturing the iconic Gypsy SUV in India. Interestingly, the Indian Army has decided to procure new Gypsy vehicles after receiving a special waiver from the Ministry of Defence on safety and emission norms. The Army has placed an order of 3,051 units of the Gypsy SUV.
The reason behind the new orders is the ability of Gypsy to tackle rough Indian conditions. The Army is using the vehicle in the tough mountain terrains of Kashmir and the northeast. The Indian Army has managed to convince the defence ministry for the special waiver.
The Indian Army has already selected Safari Storme as the replacement for the Gypsy. The Army had placed an order for 3,192 Safari Storme, of which about 90 percent have been delivered. The Safari Storme is considerably longer than the Gypsy. Due to narrower roads of mountains, Army needed Gypsy for regular patrolling and transferring troops and goods. Moreover, the Safari Storme is a hardtop model. The Gypsy is available in both hard top and soft top, making easier to place rifles and fully armed soldiers and recoilless guns can also be mounted.
The procurement process of the Gypsy vehicle is likely to take around 5 to 6 years. The Army is currently using around 30,000 vehicles of this category. There is a need for about 8,000 more vehicles and the Gyspy and the Safari Storme will meet the immediate requirement. The Indian Armed Forces has been using the Gypsy since 1991. More than 35,000 Gyspy cars have been delivered to the Army alone.
