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10 Feb 14. UK high mobility vehicle specialist, Supacat has provided technical assistance to Tata Motors to develop a combat vehicle, based on a Light Armoured Multipurpose Vehicle (LAMV) programme by the Indian Ministry of Defence. The LAMV prototype was unveiled at Defexpo, New Delhi, on 6 February, 2014. The LAMV incorporates crew protection and suspension technologies based on the Supacat Protected Vehicle 400 (SPV400) Light Protected Patrol Vehicle (LPPV) requirements of the UK Ministry of Defence. These include blast resistant features such as a V-shaped hull and an all composite crew cab.
Nick Ames, Managing Director, Supacat said, “Tata’s stature in India and the UK, and Supacat’s experience in protected vehicles is a powerful combination. Our aspiration is that this is the beginning of a strategic relationship, which opens up opportunities for both companies in the Asian and European markets for protected vehicles.”
Mr. Vernon Noronha, Vice President – Defence & Government Business, Tata Motors said, “We at Tata Motors have been associated with the Indian defence and security forces for over 60 years now, with an endeavour to supply a range of world-class, high technology and reliable off-road mobility solutions. With technical support from Supacat we are proud to have been able to indigenously develop the LAMV, for vital reconnaissance mobility, protection and firepower for the Indian armed forces, giving them the much needed capabilities of rapid offensive thrusts into enemy territory.”
Since the prototype SPV400 was assessed in 2010 for the UK MoD’s LPPV, Supacat continued to develop the design to production standards, in order to meet international demand for this new class of vehicle.
07 Feb 14. Ukrspetsexport delivers first Oplot-M tanks batch to Royal Thai Army. Ukrainian state-run arms exporter Ukrspetsexport has handed over the initial batch of five Oplot-M main battle tanks (MBT) under contract to the Royal Thai Army (RTA). Initially delivered to the Port of Sattahip, Thailand, the tanks are scheduled to undergo final acceptance trials at an undisclosed location prior to induction into the army’s inventory. The technical acceptance certificate for the first batch of Oplot MBTs was signed by Ukrspecexport and the Royal Thai Army representatives in Kharkov, Ukraine, in November 2013. Around 49 Oplot tanks were ordered by RTA’s operational command from Ukrspecexport under a $200m contract in September 2011. Designed by Kharkiv Morozov Machine Building Design Bureau (KMDB) on the basis of the Ukrainian T-84 tank, and built by Kharkiv Malyshev Plant (KMP), the Oplot MBT is designed to destroy ground-based and low-flying, low-speed aerial targets, while offering superior protection and high mobility for soldiers. Also called BM Oplot, the Oplot-M is an upgraded version of Oplot, having a conventional layout with the driver’s compartment at the front, fighting compartment in the middle and engine at the rear, and can accommodate a crew of three members. The 51t tank features more improved armour and various upgraded electronics than its predecessor, such as new electronic countermeasure systems, and PNK-6 panoramic tank sight, and will replace RTA’s M41 Walker Bulldog tank fleet, as reported earlier by IHS Janes. The tanks are scheduled to be based in RTA cavalry divisions in Bangkok, the north-eastern province of Nakhon Ratchasima, the northern province of Phitsanulok, as well as in Nakhon Si Thammarat in the south, according to the news agency. (Source: army-technology.com)
11 Feb 14. AM General debuted its new Right Hand Drive M-1165 2.0 Deployable Reconnaissance Ground Network- Vehicle (DRGN-V), specifically designed for international rapidly deployable forces, boarder surveillance, reconnaissance and interdiction missions, at t