Tata Motors has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Maharashtra Ex-Servicemen Corporation (MESCO), for creation of employment opportunities for ex-service men of Indian Army, in response to the automaker’s solution for the Indian Ministry of Defences’ (MoD) US$ 10 billion (Rs 66,300 crore) combat vehicle programme.

Commenting on the partnership, Ravi Pisharody, executive director, Commercial Vehicles, Tata Motors said, "Defence particularly needs partners with long-term commitments, to see products and solutions through multiple generations of evolution and we at Tata Motors are proud to have joined hands with MESCO and the Indian army’s ex-servicemen, for India’s first indigenously developed combat vehicle. Through this partnership, we will be even better positioned to involve the Small & Medium Scale Enterprises in defence equipment manufacturing and at the same time cater to the opportunities available right here in India.”

Also commenting on the occasion, Vernon Noronha, vice president, Defence and Government Business, Tata Motors said, "We are pleased to collaborate with MESCO for the Indian MoD’s FICV Programme. Through this collaboration, we hope to utilize the experience and further develop the expertise of our nations ex-servicemen, to develop and produce components for the Indian MoD’s FICV program. Aimed at creating skilled professionals in the defence space and in-line with the government’s ‘Make in India’ initiative, the collaboration is expected to create domain specific job opportunities for ex-servicemen of the Indian army.”

MESCO is a Government of Maharashtra undertaking, of the Mahasainik Industrial Estate (MSIE) for the establishment and resettlement of ex-servicemen. Having bagged over 270 contracts, MESCO operates in thirty-four districts and employs over 11,000 ex-servicemen.

Retired Col. Suhas Jatkar, managing director, MESCO said, “We are honored to have partnered with Tata Motors in this unique collaborative effort to generate employment opportunities for the country’s ex-servicemen that will also lead to crafting out a niche of skilled personnel, in the development of defence equipment. Vital for the safe keeping of our country, we look forward to pushing the boundaries of learning and implementation through this initiative.”

Tata Motors recently also signed a strategic agreement with Bharat Forge Limited and General Dynamics Land Systems of the US, for MoD’s FICV program. The Indian CV major will lead the consortium with Bharat Forge as a partner.

To be developed under the ‘Make Category’, the FICV is a high mobility armoured battle vehicle, for infantry men to keep pace with new advancements in weaponry system. The FICV needs to be compact, tracked and amphibious, no heavier than 18-20 tonnes, so that it can be air-portable and transportable by other means, onto combat zones. The vehicle must fire anti-tank guided missiles, to ranges beyond four kilometers, with a capability to carry a crew of three and eight combat-kitted infantrymen. The FICV will replace the Indian Army’s fleet of 2610 Russian-designed BMP (Sarath BMP-II) series armed vehicles, that are in operation since 1980.

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