Tata Motors inks pact with Malaysia’s DEFTECH to make army trucks

April 23: Tata Motors and DRB-HICOM Defence Technologies Sdn Bhd (DEFTECH), a wholly-owned subsidiary of DRB-HICOM Berhad, Malaysia, have signed a cooperation agreement to enable both DEFTECH and Tata Motors to develop, promote and market Tata Motors’ high-mobility 4x4 trucks with payloads ranging from 2.5 tonnes to 5.0 tonnes, for the armed forces of Malaysia.

In the initial stage, DEFTECH will be working on two of Tata Motors proven models, LPTA 715 and LPTA 1623. These vehicles are suitable in various configurations including troop carriers, command post, ambulance, reconnaissance missions, as an armoured carrier communication shelter and others.

Tata Motors has been associated with India’s off-road defence and security forces since 1958 and has supplied over 100,000 vehicles to the Indian military and paramilitary forces, so far. The manufacturer exports its range of specialised defence vehicles to the SAARC, ASEAN and African regions. With Tata Motors’ varied products in multi-axle range like 12x12, 8x8 & 6x6, the company has started supplying to leading missile OEMs across the world. It has also established itself as a supplier of specialist vehicles for UN peacekeeping missions.