With an aim to guarding the inhospitable terrain and snow-carpeted barren mountain chains bordering Pakistan, the Army has decided to purchase the latest snow mobiles, to ensure mobility and intensified patrolling along the Indo-Pak border in the Ladakh frontier region.
"Latest all-featured snow mobiles will be purchased soon for their use in border patrolling and for mobility of troops along the Indo-Pak border in the Siachen-Kargil sector of Ladakh Region," defence sources told PTI.
In the first phase, 25 snow mobiles will be purchased by the Northern Command Headquarters at Udhampur, the sources said, adding that the NCH has already floated global tenders regarding this last month.
The specification of the snow mobiles have been put as 4 stroke, 973 cc petrol engine with power backup and 4 ventilated disc brakes.
Over 30 snow mobiles were inducted into the Kargil-Siachen sector soon after the Kargil war, to give better mobility to the troops patrolling the Indo-Pak border, the sources said.
Now, these snow mobiles have almost completed their effective utility period, they said, adding that was the reason why snow scooters were required.
"We want jawans to be provided with the latest snow mobiles, to give them reach in the snow covered mountainous turf in the sector. This will save us from causalities due to the weather conditions and give us battle front superiority," they said.
Unlike the old snow scooters, the new ones will be lighter in weight, the sources added.