To further its ‘make in India’ drive, the Indian Ministry of Defense has ordered the Kalyani M4 4×4 armoured vehicles for its troops.
The Kalyani M4 4×4 armoured vehicles is a variant of South Africa’s Paramount Group’s Mbombe 4 armoured vehicle. Bharat Forge Limited, part of the Kalyani Group, partnered with Paramount Group to produce Mbombe 4/Kalyani M4 4×4 armoured vehicles in India
The business which is worth about Rs177.95 crore ($24 million) was revealed by Bharat Forge Limited to the Indian Stock Exchange.
According to local reports, India’s Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) on 23 February approved the sum of R13 700 crore ($1.8 billion) to purchase arms to bolster its armoured strength. The approved funds will also cover 118 Arjun Mk 1S main battle tanks and M4 armoured vehicles.
Paramount Group and India’s Bharat Forge Limited agreed on building the Mbombe 4 armoured vehicle in India as the Kalyani M4. The agreement was signed at the International Defence Expo (IDEX) held in Abu Dhabi.
In February 2020, at the DefExpo in India both companies unveiled the Kalyani M4/Mbombe 4 and Kalyani Maverick. The United Arab Emirates is the launch customer for Mbombe 4 armoured vehicle, with four vehicles ordered in 2019.
The Kalyani M4 armoured vehicle competed against Indian-designed and built 8×8 Tata Kestrel (also known as the WhAP – Wheeled Armoured Platform) and several other platform including Maverick APC from Paramount and the Werewolf mine-resistant ambush-protected vehicle from Namibia-based Windhoeker Maschinenfabrik after a request for information issued by the Indian Army in November 2019.
The Kalyani M4 will be built at Kalyani’s Pune plant. According to Paramount, the Kalyani M4 is a multi-role platform, designed to meet the specific requirements of armed forces for quick mobility in rough terrain and in areas affected by mine and IED threats. It offers ballistic and blast protection – up to 50kg TNT side blast or IED/roadside bombs.