Hi Kunal, a very interesting thread and I had some similar thoughts as well, but what I don't understand in your concept is, that you compare it with the Stryker IFV, but still want only a lighter protected 4x4? You also mentioned that it should be able to be used anywhere in India and, which makes it even more difficult for a 4x4, because if you want to go off road and in all terrains, the 4x4 has disadvantages compared to 6x6s or 8x8s like the Stryker.
The 4x4 vehicles you mentioned are mainly meant for police, security, or paramilitary forces/roles, while regular armies use these only in addition to bigger, more protected and real all terrain vehicles like these:
French army
VAB - Armored personnel carrier
VAB Armored Personnel Carrier | Military-Today.com
VBCI - Infantry fighting vehicle
VBCI Infantry Fighting Vehicle | Military-Today.com
Russian army
BPM-97 - Armored personnel carrier
BPM-97 Armored Personnel Carrier | Military-Today.com
BTR-90 - Armored personnel carrier
BTR-90 Armored Personnel Carrier | Military-Today.com
German army
http://images.zeit.de/politik/ausla...4/kundus-afghanistan-bundeswehr-4-540x304.jpg
Dingo 2 Mine Resistant Ambush Protected Vehicle | Military-Today.com
Transportpanzer 1 Fuchs Armored Personnel Carrier | Military-Today.com
I completelly agree with you that IA should have a new baseline vehicle plattform, that is cheaper to operate, more mobile and versatile than all the tracked APC/IFV, or even heavier tanks and that it should be produced in high numbers. That's why wheeled APCs/IFVs in 6x6, or 8x8 are replacing many of the older tracked counterparts like BMP, or Bradley in many armies and I guess that's even why IA evaluated the Stryker IFV and shows interest in several hundreds wheeled IFV and tank destroyers (MGS versions), because even if 6x6, or 8x8 they are more mobile on road and cheaper to operate than our BMPs.
When you look at the urban warfare in Iraq, or Afghanistan, where the ground forces often have to face heavy explosives, or RPG fire and the potential enemy forces that IA has to face (PAK and Chinese army), lightly armored 4x4 seems not to be the right choice for such a big replacement, or requirment. As mentioned above, for police or paramilitary forces which fights insurgents for example, these vehicles in higher number might be more useful.
However, when IA indeed would be looking for an addition, or replacement to older BMPs or BTRs, with the above mentioned qualities my vote would go for (or at least for a similar concept like) the BAE SEP (Splitterskyddad enhetsplattform, Swedish for "Fragmentation Protected Standard Platform"):
Splitterskyddad EnhetsPlattform - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
SEP - BAE Systems
You might know it from the MP forum, but for those who don't know it, the SEP initially was developed by Swedish Hagglunds, which now is part of BAE Systems. The idea is to have many different modules for different roles like IFV (with a turret and enough space to carry 8 to 10 fully armed soldiers), MEDIVAC, mortar carrier..., which are interchangeable not only with eachother, but with 3 different baseline vehicles!
6x6
8x8
Tracked
All these vehicles have the same size, to use the same modules, weapons or systems and depending on role, you can add additional armor kits to get higher portection as well. Hagglunds is also the developer of the well proven CV90 IFV, which gives the advantage that many turrets, or systems can be used on the SEP too and are already available and proven. This and the interchangable modules will reduce the operational costs dramatically compared to our BMP fleet for example, because any BMP, or BTR can be used in a single role only, be it as an IFV with a turret, or as a MEDIVAC with the necessary changes, while the SEP concept simply changes the modules according to the current needs and that on up to 3 different vehicle plattforms. A tracked IFV can change to a mortar carrier, while an wheeled 8x8 can take it's module and will be an IFV.
Another main advantage of the SEP is the design, which takes maximum advantage of internal volume, while the external size an weight is very small, which makes it very mobile and air transportable!
BMP2 / SEP / Strker IFV / Simba:
Weight: 14,3 t / 13,5 t / 16.47 t / 11.2 t
Length: 6.72 m / 5.9 m / 6.95 m / 6.1 m
Width: 3.15 m / 2.9 m / 2.72 m / 2.8 m
Height: 2.45 m / 2.0 m / 2.64 m / 2.2 m
As you can see, it fits to your multi role requirements and is close to the Simba APC that you prefer in size and weight, while offereing better protection, all road capability, more versatility and can repalce way more vehicles at once.
The SEP is still under development only, because no customer could be found to fund the project yet, since there are already many different IFV version on the market and the requirements are rather low at the moment. IA on the other side has a big requirement for all 3 varients and the final development / production in India could make it much cheaper as well. That's why I suggested in my introduction the procurment of BAE's CV 90-120T light tanks (IA has a reported requirement of 200 tracked and 100 wheeled, while the latter could be added later with SEP with 105mm guns for example) + the SEP as a co-developement.
My thoughts goes even one step further, but we can discuss that later too. Now tell me, did i get you concept right and what do you think about the SEP for IA? Would they be interested in such a more advanced vehicle in high numbers? Because the infos I got from DRDOs developments with Abhay IFV based on the BMP, or even the "newer" FICV that imo has nothing futuristic at all (
Livefist: India's Future Infantry Combat Vehicle ).