Tata Motors Sign Strategic Pact With Bharat Forge, General Dynamics On Indian Army’s FICV Program

Tata Motors has signed a strategic agreement with Bharat Forge Limited and General Dynamics for Indian Army’s Future Infantry Combat Vehicle (FICV) program.

Tata Motors will lead the consortium, with Bharat Forge Limited as a partner, while General Dynamics Land Systems will bring in its much proven expertise in combat vehicle platforms, the company said in a release Monday.

Tata Motors will work on Design, Development & Integration of mobility platforms, while Bharat Forge’s will bring on board its competence with fighting platforms and manufacturing strengths. General Dynamics’ SOSI (a system of systems integrator) in various integration programs will help Tata Motors to offer a truly indigenous solution for this ‘Make’ program.

Ravi Pisharody, Executive Director, Commercial Vehicles, Tata Motors Ltd. said, “Defence particularly needs partners with long-term commitments to see products and solutions through multiple generations of evolution, and we at Tata Motors are proud to have joined hands with Bharat Forge and General Dynamics Land Systems, for a complete FICV solution for the Indian armed forces.”

To be developed under the ‘Make Category’, the FICV is a high mobility armoured battle vehicle, for infantry men to keep pace with new advancements in weaponry system. The FICV needs to be compact, tracked and amphibious, no heavier than 18-20 tonnes, so that it can be air-portable and transportable by other means, onto combat zones.

The vehicle must fire anti-tank guided missiles, to ranges beyond four kilometers, with a capability to carry a crew of three and eight combat-kitted infantrymen. The FICV will replace the Indian Army's fleet of 2610 Russian-designed BMP (Sarath BMP-II) series armed vehicles, that are in operation since 1980.

Baba N. Kalyani, Chairman & Managing Director, Bharat Forge Limited, “Our proposed partnership will constitute an important milestone, to help meet the Indian Government’s objectives to strengthen indigenous defence capabilities, and particularly in land systems, with the FICV.”

The FICV is mobility oriented and is established by the fact that 3 of the 5 core technologies and 19 of the 34 critical technologies are mobility related, such as engines, transmission and running gear, which are core to Tata Motors, which as a lead of this consortium, has demonstrated years of experience of integrating key technologies needed in the armoured mobility segment. With around 14 Tata companies engaged in providing cutting edge solutions in the defence and aerospace sector, the group has the capability and ability to deliver on the FICV programme.