Ashok Leyland, the second largest commercial vehicle manufacturer in India and the largest supplier of logistics vehicles to the Indian Army, demonstrated futuristic mobility solutions and technical capabilities.
For the first time Ashok Leyland displayed a Truck Driving Simulator for Stallion 4×4 which has been built to ply on challenging terrain like snow covered roads and undulating sand dunes. “It is the first time that the Indian Army has been shown a stimulator with the best available Indian weather conditions and different terrains. All the software and the cabin have been made in collaboration with SAAB. The Army has approximately 70,000 Stallions, and they want drivers to be trained on this simulator before they actually drive the Stallion. It will reduce training costs and provide situational training in a secure environment. They may come up with more demand, but we are giving this to the Army for the demo purpose,” revealed Mr. Nitin Seth, President, LCV & Defence, Ashok Leyland.
The second vehicle on display from Ashok Leyland was the 4×4 Ambulance. “We are happy to reveal that we have already bagged an order for around 825 Ambulances from the Indian Army. This is the first demonstrative vehicle, and deliveries of the rest of the order will be done by the end of April and beginning of May,” beamed Mr. Seth.
The air-conditioned ambulance will provide enhanced medical support in the immediate hours of sustaining injuries. A double-walled insulated body maintains inside temperature, while the rear air suspension reduces shocks during transportation. All equipment meets advanced life support standards.
The next vehicle on display was the Rhino 4×4 projected as the futuristic option to the current Stallions. “The Rhino is a new generational vehicle with automatic transmission, ABS, AC cabins and an upgrade to the Stallion. Whether the Government has to phase out Stallion and adopt the new Rhino is completely their discretion, but if they want more features, Rhino certainly has got all those features, including BSIV compliance norms, CTIS, reduced turning circle diameter and provision for HVAC,” he said.
Another vehicle which was on display, the FAT 6×6 (Field Artillery Tractor), provides the Army unprecedented flexibility in rapid deployment and utilization of artillery resources.
“We have won the tender for 400 units of this gun towing vehicle model and may start delivering the FAT which pulls the Dhanush gun from the Indian Army. We have also won tenders on 6×6, 8×8 and 10×10 on the super stallion platform which we will start delivering to the Army very shortly. Ashok Leyland has won 12 out of 14 tenders with the Indian Army, and at Defexpo 2016 our aim is to showcase that we are very strong in mobility and are capable of serving the Indian Army, with any requirement, from small to big,” concluded Mr. Seth.