Ashok Leyland Defence Systems unveils the COLT range of tactical vehicle

March, 2012 defence.ashokleyland.com

Strategic partnerships with global leaders to expand product range

Ashok Leyland Defence Systems, a joint venture Company, engaged in the manufacture of specialized tactical and armoured vehicles, today unveiled the first of the range of COLT tactical vehicles - the Light Tactical Vehicle (4x4).

The Light Tactical Vehicle is being developed through the Company’s strategic partnership with Panhard General Defense, France. In addition, a new range of product concepts and systems developed with Krauss Maffei Wegmann Gmbh (KMW), Germany, were also unveiled.

“India’s Defence sector is seeking greater participation from the private sector to shore up the nation’s defenses and Ashok Leyland Defence stands poised to leverage technologies and partnerships to provide tactical and armoured solutions to address our country’s defense requirements,” said Dr. V. Sumantran, Chairman, Ashok Leyland Defence Systems. “Our product range will offer state-of-the-art performance while achieving high levels of local content and cost competitiveness. Today, we are proud to unveil the COLT 4x4 Light Tactical Vehicle which offers superior protection, improved agility and enhanced performance, typical of our new range of vehicles,” he added. 

COLT Light Tactical Vehicle (4x4)

The COLT Light Tactical Vehicle (LTV), jointly developed by Ashok Leyland Defence and Panhard General Defense, has excellent mobility owing to a power to weight ratio of over 34 horsepower per tonne. It is equipped with a high performance chassis, a unique suspension system and an innovative patented armoured hull. Essentially designed to carry out protected tactical liaison missions, the LTV can fill a large array of roles such as escort, patrol and command vehicles. The product is battle-proven and over 2,000 are deployed across 15 countries.

Product portfolio

Ashok Leyland Defence is also engaged in developing range of armoured vehicles with military payloads ranging from 1.5 to 16 tonnes, on the COLT, STALLION and SUPER STALLION platforms that will address requirements for Light Specialist Vehicles (LSV), Light Bullet Proof Vehicle (LBPV), Light Artillery Machines (LAM), Mine Protected Vehicles (MPV), Field Artillery Tractors, Multi-Barrel Rocket Launchers (MBRLs) and other special applications. Ashok Leyland Defence offers unique capabilities in bringing state-of-the-art equipment to India with high local content and customized to suit specific needs of India’s defence forces.

Winning partnerships

Panhard General Defense are pioneers in the design and development of armoured vehicles and known for their VBL (Véhicule Blindé Léger) or Light Armoured Vehicles with 1,600 to the French Army alone. They also make the PVP (Petit Vehicule Protégé) of which more than 750 are in service. Ashok Leyland Defence and Panhard have laid out a plan to address India’s evolving needs for light tactical vehicles.

Krauss-Maffei Wegmann (KMW) GmbH and Co KG, Germany:  KMW, one of Europe’s most sophisticated defence contractors and Ashok Leyland Defence are to jointly develop advanced systems for the Indian Defence establishment as well as other Defence forces worldwide. This strategic partnership combines the technological bandwidth of KMW with the innovation of Ashok Leyland Defence, aimed at deriving cost advantages and expand product opportunities for Ashok Leyland Defence. KMW has a rich, 170-year history and are market leaders in the highly protected armoured wheeled and tracked vehicles. The armed forces of over 30 nations rely on their systems such as the MBT LEOPARD 2, the artillery system PzH 2000 and the armoured wheeled vehicle - DINGO 2.