The Indian low cost military vehicle market: Maybe a little retro but valid and interesting

23/05/18

This time, let's consider a country that is relatively little talked about: India. One of the most populated territories on the planet with just over a billion people where, alongside advanced industries and institutions, large pockets of poverty and ancient traditions coexist.

Here, the country has gone into the news for the embarrassing story of our Marò and for the Italian subjection to the Indian judicial system, but also for the persistent drama of the relocation of national companies which, in a certain sense, is transforming borders in horizons with many unknowns.

But the Defense Vehicle industry seems interesting ...

In Mumbai, TATA MOTORS, starting from the distant 1945, had started up the steel and railway production for the entire Indian subcontinent; a similar path also made by the direct competitor Mahindra.

With Tata Motors, just to get an idea, there were important industrial agreements with Daimler Benz Mercedes, Fiat, but also with Jaguar and Land Rover of which Tata now controls.

TATA Defense

In addition to the production of civilian vehicles, the Indian company is at the forefront of the production of military vehicles and communication systems. This business unit called TATA Defense Products, seems to attract interest in the Asian and Middle Eastern market as well as in the Russian one. Moreover, the quality of the Indian product is, in a certain sense, tested in the field in the continuous conflicts in the Middle East and the contained costs make purchases more attractive compared to the offer of western competition.

A low cost "promised land"

India is undoubtedly a country that has made much progress in engineering, but is especially available to acquire Western technologies, given the high Indian budgets reserved for defense. This remarkable availability to foreign investors and the fact that it is one of the countries with the lowest labor costs in the world, has led many investors to wink in Mumbai and New Delhi for a production low cost, but with western technology.

THE VEHICLES, from 4x4 to 12x12:

TATA Kestrel

It comes with a line that vaguely resembles our troop transport Arrow. The Kestrel has a fully armored structure and moved by eight wheels positioned on four independent axes. It can carry 12 military and its configurations are different depending on the set-up required.

It has a 30 mm cannon and a 7,62 machine gun with 360 ° turret rotation. It is part of the range of first-line vehicles, thanks also to the rapid fire-response targeting even when the vehicle is moving.

The engine delivers 600 horses well but the most interesting aspect is that the Kestrel is an amphibious vehicle with retractable hydro jet and the armored complex can reach the 6.2 sea miles (10 km / h) and 100 km / h on the road.

TATA LAMV (Light Armored Multipurpose Vehicle): here the reference to the Lynx it seems obvious even if checking its qualities, at first glance seems perhaps a bit 'outdated compared to the technology of our VTLM.

Presented at the DEFEXPO 2014, the Indian Multirole is protected with a fluted underbody line, fixed on a supporting frame with independent suspension and 4x4 traction.

The engine has 210 horses but there is no data on the displacement even if one could think of a weight-power logic, which is a Mercedes-based 3.0 turbo diesel. It has an Allison five-speed automatic transmission plus 5 gearboxes and two reverse gearboxes, and three differential gearboxes (an indispensable feature for military off-road vehicles) that maintain the permanent motion transmission on the two axles.

It has a road speed of just over 100km / h and can carry a squad of six soldiers with an interesting level of fire protection - the crystals are as wide as a hand - but it does not appear that its level can be increased with ballistic kits. .

It is however among the best on the market among tactical vehicles and its homologation provides optional NBC resistance and night vision equipment.

MPV 4x4 Mine Protected Vehicle

It is similar and perhaps it is the analogue of the Indian VTMM, even if the lines are outdated and more angular, a not insignificant aspect in case of explosions.

The notes on this vehicle, however, are clear and it seems to be able to withstand a good 21 kg of TNT placed under it thanks to the flared shape of its hull. It is used in different tasks based on the equipment, and has two rigid decks but has only leaf spring and non-pneumatic suspensions, therefore it is clear that the gear is particularly rigid on the bumpy even for the gunner in the turret.

It is powered by a US-made 6 cylinder diesel, the turbocharged Cummins ISB (similar to the one mounted on the Dodge RAM diesel) that only develops 240 CV, very few, and with a displacement probably greater than 3.0cc. It has an automatic transmission with 6 forward gears and 1 reverse gear.

It can carry up to 13 military and its mass should be around 15 tons. Its characteristics make it more suitable for police forces to repress forms of urban guerrilla warfare, but in fact it is present, even if technologically superseded, on battle changes thanks to the steel shell that covers the entire interior.

Built in India but with Western DNA

The FICV (Futuristic Infantry Combat Vehicle) program resides in bilateral agreements between India and the United States for the production of advanced tactical vehicles which are interested in the companies Bharat Forge and General Dynamics Land Systems (GDLS) to provide tactical technologies to the Indian army.

In a nutshell, in fact, we could talk about the license to build several tanks and some rotated 8x8.

In the production of vehicles there is an impression, at least in the design, that can be traced back to Mercedes.

There is an Achilles heel and Italy is among the most astute countries ...

The considerable industrial economic interest in the defense that India puts on the bench, however, shows a certain limitation that does not escape the attentive eye of the reader after having examined numerous publications on the subject online.

In fact, with the exception of the Kestrel and the LAMV examined, the components of many armor come from different countries, some even in opposition to each other.

This means that there is a strategic dependence of supply in the production of vehicles, this aspect could result in a real Achilles heel, provided that India and the buyer countries have not made reciprocal and adequate spare parts.

In this regard, Italy and its defense industry IDV and Oto Melara has always proved to be much more careful in forecasts, being able to rely on national industries for production, without having to depend on anyone except from Europe.

Users

In addition to Russia, the Indian product also appeals to several countries in Eastern Europe and the Middle East. Customers were also China, Burma, Thailand, South Africa, and some Latin American countries.

Thanks to Tata Motors Head office - Mumbai - for information material, news and photos, provided without foreclosure, an admirable and not always guaranteed availability ...

To the boys of the San Marco navy brigade

"Fanti da Mar" I would like to shake hands one by one and get all the esteem for the operational preparation that with dignity, effort and effort keep the 1919!

Gianluca Celentano

(photo: Tata Motors)