M4 armoured vehicles

In news : Recently, the Indian Army ordered an emergency procurement of M4 armoured vehicles, which were tested in Ladakh during the standoff with China, from the Pune-based defence company Bharat Forge of the Kalyani group. 

About  Kalyani M4 armoured vehicle

• M4 vehicles will be built at the company’s Pune plant
• It is a multi-role platform, designed to meet the requirements of the armed forces for quick mobility in rough terrain and in areas affected by mine and IED threats.
• M4 has ballistic and blast protection from up to 50 kg TNT side blast, or IED or roadside bombs due to its design that is built on a flat-floor monocoque hull. 
• It is built on a flat-floor monocoque hull and has a thrust speed of 140 km per hour
• The vehicle has a payload of 2.3 tonnes and an operating range of about 800 km.
• The M4 is an original product of the South African arms firm Paramount Group but has been fine-tuned for Indian conditions by Bharat Forge.

Other competitors with M4

Mahindra Marksman

• The Mahindra Marksman is India’s first armoured capsule-based light bulletproof vehicle to provide protection to the personnel of defence, paramilitary and police forces against small arms fire and grenade attacks.
•  It has capability to be used in counter terrorist as well as conventional roles
• It is a light armoured personnel carrier built on a monocoque design. 
• It provides B6 level ballistic protection for up to 6 (4+2) against defence, paramilitary and police personnel.

Tata Kestrel

• It  is a modern armoured personnel carrier developed by Tata Motors and the Defence Research and Development Organisation. 
• It is designed and manufactured in the way of various western APC designs
• It was developed with the intention to replace age-old Soviet era BMPs and APCs in service with the Indian Army.

Aditya MPV

• Aditya is the first version of Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected-type vehicle used by the Indian Army and the Central Reserve Police Force as an armored personnel carrier to transport personnel with protections from explosives and small arms fire.
• The MPV’s construction was based on the Casspir Mk II, which India used in the 1990s
• Aditya was built to withstand TNT and other types of explosives for up to 14 kg under the wheel and 10 kg under the hull