New Delhi/Chennai: Ashok Leyland, the flagship company of the Hinduja Group and the largest supplier of logistics vehicles to the Indian Army, has strengthened its Armoured vehicle platform by delivering first of its kind 'Light Bullet Proof Vehicles' (LBPV) to the Indian Air Force (IAF), said the company in an official statement on Friday. Ashok Leyland delivered the first lot of these modern vehicles on April 13. The light bullet proof vehicle delivered to the IAF is an adopted version of Lockheed Martin's (LM) CVNG (Common Vehicle NextGen) and has been developed under TOT from LM to Ashok Leyland. It is completely indigenised and developed in India.

Speaking on the occasion, Ashok Leyland MD & CEO Vipin Sondhi said, "Supplying to the Armed Forces is a matter of pride for us. We are delighted to have the opportunity to be able to use our expertise in mobility in the service of our nation. This LBPV is another example of our team's capability combined with a strong sense of understanding of what is required in arduous conditions. We are grateful to be a trusted partner of the Indian Armed Forces, and we look forward to more opportunities like this to contribute significantly towards the 'Atmanirbhar Bharat' initiative."

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Sharing his views, Ashok Leyland's COO Nitin Seth said, "Our mobility solutions range from 4×4 to 12×12 for Defence personnel and logistics, and they have proved to be reliable partners, across our armed forces. Our relationship with Lockheed Martin started in 2014 with their CVNG Program and under TOT transfer and we hope to develop many more products for India and export market on this platform."

Key features of Light Bullet Proof Vehicles delivered to IAF

• High off-road mobility in mud, sand, rocks, and shallow water. The vehicle will get the payload to where it needs to be, no matter what.
• Extremely high payload fraction, accommodating a crew of 06 and ample cargo space to carry substantial mission equipment. A high fraction of what gets to the mission location is the payload, not just vehicle.
• Outstanding ride quality and low occupant-absorbed power. This means that the crew can easily endure driving long distances off-road, and still be an effective fighting/workforce at the end of the trip.
• The vehicle offers Superior protection and Combat capability. The crew is well protected from both Ballistic & Blast threats and can launch attacks.

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