Indian army tests advanced mobility vehicle in IIOJK glaciers
Srinagar: In a fresh move reflecting BJP-led Indian government’s relentless militarization of Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, the Indian Army has inducted the indigenously adapted Kapidhwaj Specialist Mobility Vehicle for operations in extreme terrains particularly in high-altitude areas of the territory.
According to Kashmir Media Service, the Kapidhwaj vehicle, tailored for snow-covered, rocky, and glaciated landscapes, was recently pressed into action during a critical casualty evacuation mission in the treacherous heights of the Siachen Glacier in Ladakh region of IIOJK.
Indian officials said that the Kapidhwaj, an Indianised version of the internationally acclaimed SHERP N1200, is a highly specialised all-terrain amphibious vehicle (ATV) capable of traversing snowfields, marshes, riverbeds, and rocky paths, where conventional military transport struggles.
A senior Army official said, “This capability will be a game-changer for the Army, particularly in border areas like Ladakh, Siachen, Arunachal Pradesh, and other Himalayan sectors, where logistics and troop movement are major challenges due to limited infrastructure and harsh climatic conditions”.He added that Army’s increasing focus on mobility, survivability, and speed in mountainous warfare is a response to evolving threats along the LAC and LoC.
While the Kapidhwaj is being projected as a tool for enhanced mobility and survivability, its deployment is widely seen as further evidence of New Delhi’s bid to fortify its illegal occupation of IIOJK, where already over one million Indian troops along with latest military hardware are deployed across its length and breadth.
