The Indian market is being targeted by the Spanish company New Technologies Global Systems [NTGS]. This company has integrated the ALSV chassis with its 120 mm Alakran mortar system. Mahindra’s ALSV stands for Armored Light Specialist Vehicle.
The ALSV is currently being manufactured for the Indian Army, which has ordered 1,300 units from Mahindra. The mortar-mounted variant has a protected cabin with two doors. The Alacran mortar can be found on the back platform. This mortar can be installed in the rear of light 44 vehicles as well as heavier armored vehicles.
The ALSV with Alakran was first seen at a defense show in India last year. The Asian country has yet to receive official confirmation of its purchase of this system.
Saudi Arabia was Alakran’s first customer, receiving a hundred units installed in Land Cruisers. Ukraine also purchased eight units in 2017. Their mortar was mounted on the armored platform 44 Bars-8. This vehicle was seen in action during the first weeks of the Russian invasion.
Global Military Products sells the mortar in the United States. This mortar system has also been integrated into the Emirati Mir vehicle and, more recently, the French Arquus armored Sherpa. The Alakran was also evaluated by the Spanish Army as part of Project Fuerza 2035’s experimental phase. The tests were carried out in the Legion Brigade, which was chosen to test the materials for the future Army Brigade.
During trips, the mortar remains inside the vehicle and is deployed from the rear using an electromechanical actuator. It rests on the ground in a few seconds on a square base, stabilizing the platform and allowing continuous firing at maximum load without transmitting effort to the vehicle that transports it.
The entire operation of deploying, aiming, firing at two different targets, withdrawing, and leaving a position, according to the manufacturer, takes just over a minute.
It can fire two 120mm mortar rounds in 67 seconds and then switch to another position before the enemy battery can fire back.
The system’s base configuration includes a crew of three and up to 60 120 mm mortar charges and associated components. It also has a flat-screen computerized shot control system. The Alakran mortar’s HE grenades have a claimed maximum range of 7,180m. A 120 mm laser-guided mortar shell has also been developed by Ukrainian industry. It has a high-explosive high-explosive warhead and a slightly longer range of 7,500 meters. Ukroboronservice released a video of tests with a half-dozen of these systems in mid-2019.
It also includes an auto-targeting system, which includes a GIS [Geographic Information System] and an open BMS [Battle Management System] for the joint use of various Alakran units, as well as target identification elements, in the most recent versions. The system also allows for the installation of a mortar with a caliber of 81 mm.
The vehicle is ready to fire in 35 seconds and returns to target in just eight seconds. It takes 25 seconds to retract. The inclusion of a proprietary fire control system that displays its location and that of assigned targets, as well as a ballistic calculation system for multiple types of ammunition, enables operation from the cockpit and outside the vehicle. The range varies between 6.5 km and 8 km with 81 mm and 120 mm.
It has a high rate of fire, firing 12 shots in the first minute and four in continuous fire. It is designed to work in harsh and desert environments, with protection against solar radiation, dust, and water, to which an integrated weather station must be added. Alakran can also be installed without structural reinforcements in a vehicle weighing more than 1.5 tons and transported by helicopter.
