The 4-passenger, 5 tonne gross weight PVP is part of a larger trend toward fielding more blast-resistant vehicles. It resembles competitors like BAE’s RG-32M more than it does full-scale MRAP vehicles, however, as it’s designed to equip parachute and mountain infantry groups, as well as artillery, combat engineer, intelligence, and military police units. To date, 506 PVPs have been delivered to the French Army, and they have seen service in Lebanon and Afghanistan. Larger PVP HD and PVP XL versions are also available.
Final deliveries from Panhard’s Marolles-en-Hurepoix, Essonne and Saint-Germain-Laval, Loire plants are scheduled for 2011. The initial contract called for the delivery of 200 vehicles each year, beginning in late 2007 and continuing until late 2012, but funds spent under France’s stimulus plan expanded capacity to 300 vehicles per year, beginning in 2009. Panhard hopes that future orders might expand to 1,500 vehicles.
In “India’s Defense Market: Obstacles to Modernization” DID looked at the various organizational pathologies that were creating repeated failures for Indian defense procurement efforts, to the point that billions of dollars were being appropriated and not spent. We have also followed projects like India’s Kaveri jet engine, its missile programs, the Arjun tank, et. al., which have consumed a great deal of time (over 20 years in many cases) and many crores of rupees without fielding operational weapons systems.
The changes required are wide-ranging and complex – but in a democracy, these things eventually come home to roost and reform efforts begin. There have been a few signals lately that these changes may begin at last. Where are they going? Will they succeed?
