BSF to ditch camels to ride sand scooters

[Ajaxpaul]

JAISALMER: For the BSF, the ship of the desert may "sink" and "shrink" too, provided the hi-tech mode it is planning turns out to be viable.

In a bid to keep up with the times, the BSF plans to introduce sand scooters to keep vigil along the Pakistan border. In this series, trials of special scooters and special four-wheeler vehicles from the US, China and other countries are going on in Jaisalmer. These petrol vehicles are priced well above Rs 6 lakh. The trial will continue till the end of July and if these prove successful, the vehicles will be used along with the camels to man the difficult desert terrain.

Though sources say that camels may not be withdrawn right away, the BSF is planning to reduce its camel fleet in the future as their upkeep is a major concern for the force. Buying quality animals, maintaining the same and their upkeep is quite a task.

Sources said the trial of 500cc ATV scooter Nebula Jaguar of Chinese company Nebula Exports was conducted in the third week of May.

Later, the trial of Polaris field vehicles was carried out during the last week of May. The vehicles that were tried include Ranger 800, Ranger RZR 4-800 and Sportman. Similarly, trial of vehicles belonging to Maini Group was held in June.

BSF sources said a panel has been formed at the headquarters in New Delhi and a report will be sent to the HQ soon after the trial. BSF will also send a recommendation to the Centre to acquire the ATVs.

Armed with ammunition and other equipment, jawans conducted trials in extreme heat conditions.

BSF to ditch camels to ride sand scooters - The Times of India

 

[Alchemy]

This was due isnt it ,will give the much needed speed and punch, welcome move .... I wish the deal is finalized with an Indian bidder !

 

[Fazlu]

If not Indian, go for Chinese. It'll probably be cheaper in comparison.

 

[atulya]

really our defence budget is 48.6 billion$ ? not sure..

 

[jbond197]

Maini Group launches 'TOMCAR' in India| ZigWheels.com

A military grade high-performance all terrain vehicle originally designed for military and border patrol use, the TOMCAR is built to go almost anywhere and features a strong, fully-welded steel tube chassis and heavy duty four-wheel independent suspension.

Speaking at the announcement of the TOMCAR’s arrival in India at the 2012 DefExpo, Sandeep Maini, Chairman of Maini Group said, “We are delighted to launch the TOMCAR in India. With the Indian Defence, Paramilitary and Homeland Security scouting aggressively for All Terrain Vehicles, we intend to promote TOMCAR amongst them as part of their modernization drive.”

Just to give you a fair idea of this vehicle’s reputation beyond borders, the TOMCAR is deployed by the Israeli Military, the US Customs & Border Patrol and the British Army in Afghanistan. It has been customized for the military and border forces to carry Heavy Machine Guns, Anti-tank guided missile launchers, Automatic Grenade Launcher and even developed as two separate armoured and unmanned versions.

These vehicles are designed to be safe, rugged and extremely dependable and seeing their true potential the Maini Group has already built a manufacturing facility in Bangalore to cater to both its domestic and overseas TOMCAR customers.

Tomcar is basically a product of an Israeli company recently acquired by Maini group.

 

[Ambitious.Asian]

How many they are going to buy????

 

[Yogi]

even KTM makes some good ATVs i think given the chance Bajaj can easily come up with ATVs of its own in couple of years but for the time being chinese is a good option i suppose

Self relience is always the best

 

[Sergi]

BBF should go for ATVs but Camels shouldn't be ditched. ATVs can be used were speed and power is required. Using Camels seems outdated but it gives element of surprise ( and stealth in desert )

 

[Bang Galore]

Well...ATV's are never going to look this grand.........

 

[GR!FF!N]

thats Nebular Jaguar..

Nebula Jaguar 500 All Terrain Vehicle - Nebula Automotive - ATV Dealer in India - Nebula Automotive – ATV Dealer in India

Polaris...

 

[ajtr]

oye itta tel nai hai india vich tey har kisi noo gaddi cha hi da.

 

[IZVINITE]

Camels or sand vehicles, security must not be compromised. I think the services of camels can not be totally opted out, contingent must be maintained

 

[lilaspr]

my boyfriend has one of these... probably polaris version. i will ask him. He even took it to majorca, when we went for vacation this summer. hahaha

 

[jha]

Was long due. Good move by BSF. Such vehicle with mounted Machine guns will prove very efficient in welcoming unwanted guests.

 

[BelligerentPacifist]

Was long due. Good move by BSF. Such vehicle with mounted Machine guns will prove very efficient in welcoming unwanted guests.

I thought it was an Indian tradition to come unannounced, and for the host to expect this and be hospitable! Your machine guns seem like a hostile host, a sign of a new india maybe?!