Army To Buy More M4 Armoured Vehicles With Anti-Tank Missiles For Northern Border
The M4 is a multi-role vehicle designed to suit the armed services' needs for swift movement in tough terrain and in areas prone to mine and improvised explosive device (IED) threats
Army to buy more M4 armoured vehicles
Keeping in view the ongoing tensions with China in Eastern Ladakh, Army is to buy more M4 armoured vehicles from Pune-based military manufacturer Bharat Forge of the Kalyani Group. However, the numbers are not revealed.
The Army requires wheeled armoured vehicles that can move troops faster and operate at high altitudes. Orders are placed based on how they performed under Northern Command.
Some of these vehicles are currently having Israeli Spike anti-tank guided missiles (ATGM) which is necessary when the Chinese army has put heavy armour on the other side.
According to the company, Kalyani Group has already provided approximately 60 of these vehicles to the Army and 30 to the UN Peacekeeping Force.
Aside from the ATGM, the Army is considering upgrading the 7.62 mm gun to a 20 mm gun with an automatic turret.
The M4 is a multi-role vehicle designed to suit the armed services' needs for swift movement in tough terrain and in areas prone to mine and improvised explosive device (IED) threats.
Its flat-floor monocoque hull design provides ballistic and explosion protection against TNT side blasts of up to 50 kg, IEDs and roadside bombs. Also, the vehicle has a thrust speed of 140 km per hour, a payload of 2.3 tonnes and an operating range of around 800 kilometres.
The vehicle, which has an automated gearbox, can carry ten soldiers, including the driver, and has a cooling and heating system, making it suitable for both deserts and high elevations.
According to Kalyani Group sources, Bharat Forge has been able to indigenise roughly 95 per cent of the vehicles, with only 5 per cent imported from outside.
While its Pune plant now has a capacity of 40 vehicles per year, the company wants to increase that capacity to 100 soon.
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