Tata Motors bags ₹914-cr order from Indian Army

Tata Motors has bagged order to supply 1,239 high mobility vehicles worth ₹914 crore to the Indian Army.

The indigenously developed 6x6 multi-axle trucks for loading and unloading ammunition need to be delivered in 24 months.

The company along with Mahindra and Mahindra have also been short listed for supply of 3,192 vehicles to the Army, which is replacing Maruti Suzuki’s Gypsy and Mahindra Commander.

The Army recently qualified Tata’s Storm and Mahindra’s Scorpio after rigorous test.

Tata Motors expects major revenue from Storm as the Army is planning to replace 30,000 to 40,000 vehicles.

Speaking to media on Friday, VS Noronha, Vice-President – Defence and Government Business, said the single-largest order of high mobility vehicle was awarded to Tatas after trial duration of 25 months in demanding conditions.

The vehicle is designed to cope with extreme on or off-road loads and these vehicles have gone through trials such as water-fording, on cross country terrains and plains and at the Vehicle Research and Development Establishment torture track, he said.

“In last three years, the revenue from defence business was ₹2,000 crore and this is expected to double in the next three years with the Government decision to open defence orders to private sector,” he said.

On the research and development programme, Noronha said the Government through the recently launched ‘Make’ programme is funding up to 80 per cent of development cost and will own the IPR (intellectual property rights) once the research is completed.

The company was among the four companies short listed by the Government for making Future Infantry Combat Vehicle.

The Government plans to replace about 1,400 Russian BMP (Boyevaya Mashina Pekhoty, a Russian word meaning infantry fighting vehicle) vehicles with 2,600 future infantry combat vehicles at a cost of over $10 billion.

Moving up the value chain from a logistics support provider for the Army, Tata Motors along with its group companies TCS, Tata Power and Tata Technologies has developed combat vehicles with latest technologies to ensure high mobility, fire power and protection to troops during military operations.

The company recently delivered indigenously developed mine protected vehicle to Maharashtra, Jharkhand, Odisha and Bihar for use in Naxal-infested areas.

Tata Motors has designed and developed Wheeled Armored Platform — an Indian armoured personnel carrier — designed for optimised survivability, all terrain performance and increased lethality.

Its Light Armoured Multi-role Vehicle combines vital operational pre-requisites of mobility, protection and firepower.

Equipped with modern observation, surveillance and communication equipment, the vehicle will provide armed forces with a technological edge necessary to achieve superiority on the battlefield.

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