Chennai-based auto manufacturer Ashok Leyland, a leading supplier of logistics vehicles to the Indian Army has strengthened its armoured vehicle platform by delivering first-of-its-kind ‘Light Bulletproof Vehicles’ (LBPV) to the Indian Air force.
Ashok Leyland delivered the first lot of these modern vehicles on April 13. The LBPV is an adopted version of Lockheed Martin’s (LM) CVNG (Common Vehicle Next Gen) and has been developed under TOT from LM to Ashok Leyland. It is completely indigenised and developed in India.
Speaking on the occasion, Vipin Sondhi, MD and CEO, 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.”
Nitin Seth, COO, Ashok Leyland, said, “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. 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.”
According to the company LBPV has got four main characteristics that makes it ideal for host of military applications:
- High off-road mobility in mud, sand, rocks, and shallow water. The vehicle will get the payload to where it needs to be, no matter what.
- Extremely high payload fraction, accommodating a crew of 6 and ample cargo space to carry substantial mission equipment. A high fraction of what gets to the mission location is payload, not just vehicle.
- Outstanding ride quality and low occupant-absorbed power. This means that the crew can easily endure driving long distances off-road, and still be an effective fighting/work force at the end of the trip.
- The vehicle offers superior protection and combat capability. The crew is well protected from both ballistic and blast threats and can launch attacks.