Hinduja Group flagship company Ashok Leyland has delivered first of its kind Light Bullet proof Vehicles (LBPV) to the Indian Air force (IAF). The company said LBPV is an adopted version of Lockheed Martin’s (LM) CVNG (Common Vehicle Next Gen) and has been developed under transfer of technologies (TOT) transfer from LM to Ashok Leyland. The first lot of these vehicles that are completely indigenized and developed in India, was delivered on 13 April.
LBPV has got 4 main characteristics that makes it ideal for host of military applications. It is capable of off-road mobility in mud, sand, rocks, and shallow water. It has high payload fraction, accommodating a crew of six and ample cargo space to carry substantial mission equipment. A high fraction of what gets to the mission location is payload, not just vehicle. It has better 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. In addition the vehicle offers improved protection and combat capability. The crew is well protected from both ballistic and blast threats and can launch attacks.
Vipin Sondhi, MD & 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.”