IAF gets lightweight bulletproof vehicles supplied by Ashok Leyland

Ashok Leyland Ltd, the subsidiary of the Hinduja Group responsible for making commercial vehicles, announced on Friday that it had supplied the first light bullet proof vehicle to the Indian Air Force (IAF).

This week, Ashok Leyland which is the Indian Army's biggest logistics vehicle provider, supplied the first batch of its light bulletproof vehicles. These light bulletproof vehicles, according to Ashok Leyland, are built based on Lockheed Martin's Common Vehicle Next Generation (CVNG). These vehicles were produced under Transfer of Technology agreement between Lockheed Martin and Ashok Leyland and are entirely indigenized and developed in India.

Speaking on the supply of the lightweight bulletproof vehicles to the IAF, Vipin Sodhi, Chief executive of Ashok Leyland said, "Supplying to the Armed Forces is a matter of pride for us. We are delighted to have the opportunity to be able to use our expertise in mobility in service of our nation. This LBPV is another example of our team’s capability combined with a strong sense of understanding of what is required in arduous conditions. We are grateful to be a trusted partner of the Indian Armed Forces, and we look forward to more opportunities like this to contribute significantly towards the ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’ initiative."

The vehicle has excellent defence as well as offensive capabilities. The crew is well-protected from ballistic and blast threats and is capable of launching attacks. The LBPV has excellent off-road versatility, allowing it to navigate mud, sand, gravel, and shallow water. Irrespective of circumstances, the truck will bring the payload to its destination.

Nitin Seth, the Chief operating officer of Ashok Leyland spoke on mobility solutions range, "Our mobility solutions range from 4x4 to 12x12 for Defence personnel and logistics, and they have proved to be reliable partners, across our armed forces.”

He further spoke on relations between Lockheed Martin and Ashok Leyland, “Our relationship with Lockheed Martin started in 2014 with their CVNG Program and under TOT transfer and we hope to develop many more products for India and export market on this platform."

Details regarding the volume of the vehicles supplied and the cost of the order have not been declared by the company.