Tata Motors showcased its two flagship vehicles at the BIMSTEC Nations Summit 2018 in Pune. The two vehicles namely Tata 4X4 Mine Protected Vehicle (MPV) and the WhAP8x8 ICV (CO developed with the DRDO) shown to the Army Chiefs and nearly 400 plus army officers from BIMSTEC Nations. The company says that the two vehicles will demonstrate its expertise in the combat range and its commitment to the “Make-In-India For Defence” policy of the Government of India. Tata Motors flagship product WhAP8x8 (Wheeled Armoured Amphibious Platform) is India’s First Infantry Combat Vehicle that has been designed for optimised survivability, all-terrain performance and increased lethality and has been jointly developed with the Indian Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO). It is a fully loaded vehicle with safety features such as Blast protection, Ballistic Protection and NBC protection.
Modulatory and Scalability features help this vehicle to be easily modified to cater to various terrain condition and missions. A low maintenance vehicle, with a seating capacity of 10+2 people, the WhAP8x8 comes in various variants such as Armoured Fighting vehicles, CBRN vehicle, Recce & Support vehicle, Medical Evacuation vehicle, Engineer Squad vehicle, Mortar Carrier, Commander’s vehicle and Anti-Tank Guided Missile vehicle.
Mine Protected Vehicle (MPV) with 4×4 Configuration, is developed to serve as a mine-proof troop transport vehicle, a law enforcement special response vehicle used to counter insurgency, or an escort protection vehicle. The vehicle comes with best-in-class ground clearance for enhanced cross-country mobility. The high power to weight ratio gives enhanced acceleration and maximum speed for quicker response during an emergency situation.
Commenting on the occasion, Vernon Noronha, Vice President, Defence & Government Business, Tata Motors Limited said that the company’s defence mobility portfolio has grown from strength to strength, offering a range of combat, armoured, combat support & logistics vehicles that have been popular in supporting the military, paramilitary & police forces in their multifarious operations. The company’s International customers are aware that Tata military vehicles in use by the Indian Armed Forces are inducted by them, only after grueling pre-purchase testing (spread over years in different terrain and climate conditions) to exacting military standards. This also helps Tata Motors build confidence with foreign militaries on durability and maintainability aspects.
