Army, Navy to replace Gypsies with Tata Safari Storme

The Tata Safari Storme | Photo: Tata Motors

The Indian defence ministry has ordered 3192 Tata Safari Storme vehicles, which will replace some of the existing Maruti Suzuki Gypsy vehicles currently in service in the Indian Army and Navy.

In a statement issued today, Tata Motors said that they have ‘signed a contract for supply of 3192 units of the Tata Safari Storme 4×4 to the Indian Armed Forces, under a new category of vehicles – GS800 (General Service 800)’.

According to the company, it has already supplied the ‘Tata High Mobility Vehicle 6×6 in the 10 Tonne class’ to the armed forces as a replacement to the Tatra adding that the new order is in response to a Request For Proposal (RFP) that required a ‘minimum payload capacity of 800 kgs; hard roofs and air conditioning’.

The statement quoted Tata Motors’ Vice President of Defence & Government Business, Vernon Noronha, as saying, “This variant of the Storme has been modified from the one available for civilians with an upgraded drivetrain and significantly modified suspension. The Safari Storme was conceived and designed keeping in mind the need for a rugged, comfortable and reliable vehicle, making it popular with law enforcement agencies. We will shortly commence delivery of these vehicles for the Army and Navy in a phased manner.”

Tata Motors said the Safari Storme 4×4 completed fifteen months of trials ‘in various terrains across the country’ before it received the order.

The Tata Safari Storme offers power of 156 PS & 400 Nm torque and features lower NVH (Noise, Vibration and Harshness), best-in-class ground clearance of 200mm and ESOF (electronic shift-on-fly) technology, enabling engagement of the 4X4 or 4X2 mode on the move, according to the company.

Tata Motors said it has supplied over 1,50,000 vehicles to Indian military and paramilitary forces since 1958 and also exports its military vehicles to the ‘SAARC, ASEAN and African regions’. “With Tata Motors’ rich portfolio in multi-axle range like 12×12, 8×8 & 6×6, the company has started supplying to leading Missile OEMs across the world.