India-made trucks may push Tatra out

[President]

India-made trucks may push Tatra out
Will ramp up indigenous production and reduce Army’s dependence on foreign vendors
Ajay Banerjee/TNS

Made in India

The Army has completed trials for two types of trucks to replace Tatra - the six-wheeled-drive high-mobility vehicle and the eight-wheeled-drive high-mobility vehicles.
The plan is to buy 1,239 units of the first variety and another 255 of the second variety
The trials have been conducted for all specified parameters under winter and summer conditions and with truck carrying full load
The shift to India-made trucks also falls in line with AK Antony’s policy of giving a boost to indigenous production

New Delhi, June 16
Considered as the ‘backbone’ of the Indian Army’s rapid response to any attack along the western front for long, the Czech-built Tatra trucks may not be purchased from now on. The reason: India-built trucks have now improved a lot and could be selected for forthcoming expansion drive or replacements for Tatra trucks, resulting in saving foreign exchange and unhinging India’s reliance on foreign suppliers.

Purchase of Tatra trucks had become controversial and the contract of 1,676 high-mobility Tatra trucks was stopped after former Army Chief Gen VK Singh alleged in February 2012 that there was an attempt to bribe him for clearing the deal. The CBI then booked VRS Natarajan, chief of the Bharat Earth Movers Limited (BEML), in April last year. The BEML was the Indian partner of Tatra. A retired Army officer and a private individual have also been booked by the CBI.

Now ending Tatra’s monopoly in India, the Army has completed trials for two types of trucks to replace Tatra - the six-wheeled-drive high-mobility vehicle and the eight-wheeled-drive high-mobility vehicles. The plan is to buy 1,239 units of the first variety and another 255 of the second variety.

The trials have been conducted for all specified parameters under winter and summer conditions and with truck carrying full load, some times in excess of 20 tonnes. The shift to India-made trucks also falls in line with Defence Minister AK Antony’s policy of ramping up indigenous production while reducing dependence on foreign vendors.

“This was an open tender which was to seek vehicles that can run on mud-paths, deserts, through slushy agricultural field, through small rivers and even river banks while carrying heavy equipment. The trials are complete,” said a senior officer. The Army expects the first set of vehicles to be inducted by the middle of 2014.

The importance of the high-mobility Tatra vehicles can be gauged from the fact that strike-power of the Indian Army is moved on such trucks. In real war-time scenario, the mobility will have to be high. The BrahMos missile, Pinaka multi-barrel rocket launcher and its sibling, the Smerch, are also carried on such trucks.

Also field radars and mobile bridges, which will help tanks to cross small water bodies like canals, are carried on such trucks. In today’s networked scenario carrying heavy equipment of rail would make it easier for enemy UAVs and satellites to identify. Trucks can be scattered and be under some camouflage increasing their chances of ensuring a strike. As of now, all the three strike formations at Ambala, Mathura and Bhopal rely on such trucks for rapid response.

The Tribune, Chandigarh, India - Main News

 

[Killswitch]

Thank you General Singh.

 

[1nd1a]

I think its about time for Indian auto maker to capitalize on this opportunity...

 

[indoPunjabi]

Who's building those trucks? Tata or mahindra or ashok leyland?

 

[Roybot]

Most prolly Tata.

8x8

6x6

 

[Manindra]

But my choice is Ashok-Leyland

 

[Abingdonboy]

But my choice is Ashok-Leyland

It will be a mix, most likely, between AL, TATA and M&M trucks- not a single vendor for all roles.


@Topic I highly doubt that the TATRA will be replaced in all its roles by Indian firms- just yet. For the most high-end and specilised roles the TATRAs are simply unmatched ie BHRAMOS/AGNI TELs. However for roels such as arty tractors, troop transports, bridge transports, mech vehicles etc etc the Indian firms are more than capable of replacing the TATRAs. In a few years once the Indian firms have built up their capability in the defence HGV sector then the TATRA can be replaced in all its roles.

 

[shree835]

@Abingdonboy This is not going to happen Immediately, I believe it will go phase wise, light to heavy.

 

[born]

it'd be fun driving one of these . Really awesome machines!
As a kid I've always wanted to be a truck driver !! but I never got a chance to drive one.

 

[Manindra]

it'd be fun driving one of these . Really awesome machines!
As a kid I've always wanted to be a truck driver !! but I never got a chance to drive one.

How's that

 

[Capt.Popeye]

It will be a mix, most likely, between AL, TATA and M&M trucks- not a single vendor for all roles.


@Topic I highly doubt that the TATRA will be replaced in all its roles by Indian firms- just yet. For the most high-end and specilised roles the TATRAs are simply unmatched ie BHRAMOS/AGNI TELs. However for roels such as arty tractors, troop transports, bridge transports, mech vehicles etc etc the Indian firms are more than capable of replacing the TATRAs. In a few years once the Indian firms have built up their capability in the defence HGV sector then the TATRA can be replaced in all its roles.

@Abingdonboy; the URAL, Tatra and Saab Scania FAT trucks can and are already being replaced by TATA and AL FATs even as we speak.
Next are the veh. platforms for the MBRLs; both TATA and AL have developed 6 x 6 and 8 x 8 trucks for the purpose to replace Tatras. So that is also an impending change.
Then there are the Prime Movers for the Tank Transporters. While AL had already Hippo and Beaver PMs for the purpose; since they lacked true off-road capabilities the IA had insisted on Tatras till now. But the photographs above indicate that domestic manufacturers can now replace them. Incidentally, it was for this role that the Tatras first entered IA service in the 1970s.
After that, the platforms for the Prithvi, Brahmos GLCMs and Prahaars; the TATA and AL platforms mentioned above may be fit for consideration.
Finally for some of the road-mobile versions of the Agni missiles; Volvo, AL, TATA and MAN prime movers exist but again are not true off-roaders. Hence the KAMAZ and URAL which are well tried and tested TEL tractors in Russia are being considered for licence production in India for off-road applications for TELs.

So all in all; there are many more options now available for the Indian Armed Forces to replace the Tatras in all applications.
Things are far better than before and a few years down the road, will be even more so. At the same time, please note that Cummins India is able to offer newer and more powerful engines made in India apart from the imported engines like MTU etc that are available. So appropriate power-plants are also available in greater choice. As well as Indian made gear-boxes, transmissions, axles and braking systems.

 

[Abingdonboy]

@Abingdonboy; the URAL, Tatra and Saab Scania FAT trucks can and are already being replaced by TATA and AL FATs even as we speak.
Next are the veh. platforms for the MBRLs; both TATA and AL have developed 6 x 6 and 8 x 8 trucks for the purpose to replace Tatras. So that is also an impending change.
Then there are the Prime Movers for the Tank Transporters. While AL had already Hippo and Beaver PMs for the purpose; since they lacked true off-road capabilities the IA had insisted on Tatras till now. But the photographs above indicate that domestic manufacturers can now replace them. Incidentally, it was for this role that the Tatras first entered IA service in the 1970s.
After that, the platforms for the Prithvi, Brahmos GLCMs and Prahaars; the TATA and AL platforms mentioned above may be fit for consideration.
Finally for some of the road-mobile versions of the Agni missiles; Volvo, AL, TATA and MAN prime movers exist but again are not true off-roaders. Hence the KAMAZ and URAL which are well tried and tested TEL tractors in Russia are being considered for licence production in India for off-road applications for TELs.

So all in all; there are many more options now available for the Indian Armed Forces to replace the Tatras in all applications.
Things are far better than before and a few years down the road, will be even more so. At the same time, please note that Cummins India is able to offer newer and more powerful engines made in India apart from the imported engines like MTU etc that are available. So appropriate power-plants are also available in greater choice. As well as Indian made gear-boxes, transmissions, axles and braking systems.

Sir, no doubt Indian defence HGV manufacturers sit in a comfortable position to dominate the Indian military heavy truck requirements- and rightly so. All I was saying was that, right now-today, the likes of TATA, AL and M&M lack in some areas most noticeably the high end arena ie Agni/Bhrahmos TELs. i have no doubt whatsoever that in the span of 3-5 years these Indian defence majors will have 10x10/8x4/12x12 high-end movers- provided these pvt players see the is arena is worth investing in (today they seem to) and thus scoop up orders in the next 1-2 years. In the same way, intially, TATA, AL and M&M were completely outclassed by VOLVO, MAN, SCANIA etc in the premium trucking sector in India but eventually caught up with the likes of the Navistar and Prima. Even then, in many some ways these Indian products are still lacking against their foreign counterparts but these Indian automotive giants are working hard to address their deficits. You can apply this analogy to the Indian defence sector too.

 

[born]

How's that

great atleast u dont have to worry about rising fuel prices...