Northern commandadds Kalyani M4 to its fleet of armoured vehicles
To enhance the operations capabilities in terrains of Jammu – Kashmir and Ladakh, the Indian Army formally inducted much awaited indigenous 4×4 armored terrain vehicles in the armory.
The first consignment of specialized armored vehicles was formally received by General Officer-Commanding-in-Chief (GOC-in-C) Northern Command, Lieutenant General Upendra Dwivedi from officials of India’s Bharat Forge Limited in Command headquarters Udhampur.
Northern Command further inducted the vehicles for Quick Reaction Force, the unit capable of rapidly responding to emergent situations.
“The all terrain high mobility combat troop carrier with armour and mine protection will prove lethal for army’s operations in difficult terrain of Jammu and Kashmir- Ladakh,” an official said.
The Northern Command shared the information on official Twitter handle with several pictures of its General Officer Commanding-in-chief (GOC-in-C) Lt Gen Upendra Dwivedi along with the vehicle.
#NorthernComd inducts 4×4 Quick Reaction Force Vehicles, an indigenous initiative by @BharatForgeLtd; an all terrain high mobility combat troop carrier with Armour & Mine Protection, the tweet read.
Kalyani M4, produced by Kalyani Group’s Bharat Forge, underwent extensive trials in Ladakh, which also falls under the Northern Command, before the Army placed the order for these vehicles under an emergency procurement amid the China-India border standoff.
The vehicle can withstand three 10 kg TNT charges under the wheels and one 50 kg IED blast at its one side, officials said.
The best just got better! The induction of Kalyani M4, BharatForgeLtd group’s flagship armoured vehicle in NorthernComd_IA theatre is a matter of pride for the #makeinindia initiative & the entire nation, tweeted PRO Udhampur, Ministry of Defence.
As per reports, Bharat Forge Limited had last year signed a deal with global aerospace-tech firm Paramount Group to manufacture these armored vehicles in India for the Indian armed forces.
Subsequently, the Ministry of Defence had placed an order worth Rs 177.95 crore for the supply of Kalyani M4 vehicles.
The Kalyani M4 is a multi-role platform vehicle that aims to aid the armed forces in quick mobility in rough terrain. It offers best-in-class levels of ballistic and blast protection – up to 50kg TNT side blast or IED/roadside bombs due to its innovative design, built on a flat-floor monocoque hull.
The vehicles can carry a maximum payload of 2.3 tonnes and up to 8 people.The Kalyani M4 weighs around 16,000 kilograms with all the armour.
The M4 can reach a top speed of 140 km/h and has a range of 800 km.It had undergone extensive trials in Ladakh.
