MotorBash brings to you, exclusive spyshots of a military-specific vehicle from one of India’s homegrown manufacturers. We bet this vehicle will strike awe in the hearts of our readers, and fear in the hearts of India’s opponents.
There’s no denying the fact that India is surrounded by an explosive and dangerous wall of neighbouring countries. To our north-west we have the so-called Non-State Actors ready to infiltrate our border at a moment’s notice. To our north, we have an iron-fisted communist nation rapidly becoming more assertive in its strides in the Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR).
To our east, we have a country that can spontaneously combust itself over a water-sharing pact. Oh, we also have a nation of Generals in the same direction who exploit the vast reserves of Jade to fuel their expensive lifestyles!! And to our south, we have a nation whose internal strife was captured very beautifully in a movie starring the Biker-boy-of-Bollywood.
To protect our porous borders ranging from Sir Creek in Gujarat to Tawang in Arunachal Pradesh with a Kargil and a Siachen tucked in somewhere in between, our jawans need a rough, tough, hardy and reliable set of wheels. One that would not cower in the face of incoming enemy fire.
One whose engines would not stall even in the steepest of inclines. One that would have a footprint massive enough to stride over the pockmarked landscape of battle, ridden with craters and dead bodies alike. One that would be reliable enough to not betray a soldier in that defining moment.
For years, we have been spoon-fed to the idea of Indian Army relying on Willys’ derived Mahindra Jeep and more recently, the Maruti-Suzuki Gypsy. We are even forced to bear images of ponies hauling arms and ammunition on mountainous routes (During the 1971 war), year after year repeatedly on Independence day!! 😉
Now it seems the Indian Army has, or rather is about to, receive a vehicle that will be an ideal comrade in hostile situations. We spied a Tata Vehicle on test in Pune yesterday. It was insanely “B-I-G” and was astride on equally massive tyres. It had a wide enough footprint and a ground clearance that would put the best of Off-roaders to shame!! Though we aren’t aware of the engine options, we could see that the interiors were spartan, and that equipment levels will be next to nil. But then, do our jawans tune in to music on the battllefield??
Needless to say, we liked it. On seeing it, patriotic feelings gushed inside us.
That even after lots of scams and kickbacks ( Remember Quattrochi?? ), one Indian manufacturer has finally taken up cudgels to arm our guardians with the necessary equipment that they deserve. Yes, Tata is no stranger to the world of strategic and tactical defence. The company is working on a program to arm our infantry soldiers with a next-generation rifle called the F-INSAS. Its Safari vehicle is used by DRDO as mobile radio-jammer units, after being retrofitted with the necessary equipment.
How many of you heard Jai-Hind ring inside your minds?? 😉
Hold your patriotic cascade, buddy. First of all, from these pics it looks like not much thought have gone into the vehicle’s design. This is ancient (reminds me of Tempo Trax, only that Trax looked better). World’s 4th Largest Army deserves something that can at least be termed contemporary, if not next-generation. I also notice that the parts don’t sit seamlessly against each other… there’s that glaring clearance on the bonnet in the last pic.
I hope TATA is not just out to milk the oppportunity here (BIG customer, DEEP pockets), and that it understands that a armored vehicle doesn’t necessarily have look dull, and that this vehicle actually delivers where it is supposed to.
By d way, it’s sad that we have to make do with retro-fitted Safaris while countries out there are using Pajeros, Land Cruisers and other better vehicles. Of course you know better than me that this is all because of our Govt’s constant patronage (translates as monopoly to derive mutual benefits) to the local Big Guns, rather than the quality and effectiveness of the products they deliver.
See, we can always look to it as a very first step being taken in a series of measures to bridge the yawning chasms that exist. 🙂
Military-industrial Complexes are often drivers of big growth in developed countries.
India had been restricting the access of corporate houses to defence projects because of the fear of shady deals. And we definitely know this was a right step, with all these scams popping up ( Bofors, Tatra trucks.. ).
But can we sit like that?? Already, we have the dubious tag of being one of the largest importers of defence technology.
Agreed that these products could be a notch lower than the ones prowling the international arena. But a bold, first step has to be taken somewhere.
You are a real funny guy, my friend. You really had me when you suggested our Govt is trying to avoid shady deals.
Anyway, I’m not here to discuss the politics of it. I’m just saying, we shouldn’t make merry with all the mediocrity that’s being served here, and dole out credits so easy. TATA is not some small time operator. Whatever first step it is taking, the Govt should demand that it be a giant stride. It’s time these business houses earn the patronage/protection they are enjoying for decades now.
Defence sector is still in its own citadel, away from politics, though we have few off-shoots of late.
The government didn’t want to enlist private sector in major deals as they felt the companies would put profit and margins before the nation.
And I appreciate your views on the patronage that the government has been handing out. Let’s hope the corporates take these in their stride, and try to re-invent the wheel.
Indian Army wasting their time by testing totally unreliable combat vehicles from Mahindra (AXE) and Tata. Secondhand hummers and Toyotas are better bet.