Ashok Leyland looks for bigger play in defence space with Super Stallion

Hinduja Group flagship company Ashok Leyland today said it is looking for a bigger space in the market for defence vehicles with its Super Stallion range of vehicles.

Ashok Leyland, which has been manufacturing and supplying the Stallion range of defence vehicles to the Indian Army, says it is time to ''stretch wings'' for a bigger play.

The company is already the largest supplier of logistics vehicles to the Indian Army, with over 70,000 of its Stallion vehicles forming the Army's logistics backbone.

"So far, we have mostly depended on the Stallion platform. We decided that we need other platforms. So, we created Super Stallion which is a significantly bigger platform," Ashok Leyland non-executive vice chairman V Sumantran said.

"Super Stallion is 6x6, 8x8. Typically, Stallion is 230 HP, and Super Stallion is 360-400 HP. We got entry into that. There are about five tenders at least. The first one has been opened, ourselves and L&T are in L1 (lowest number) with the Super Stallion platform.

"Powertrain, transmission, engines are done by us, while L&T does the other. So we are stretching our wings," he said, adding, "We are a partner, a consortium, for mounted guns system. We have platform for short range missile system."

Observing that the Futuristic Infantry Combat Vehicles (FICV) for defence forces was a long duration programme, he said, adding FICV testing would be ready after 2017 and volumes would happen only after 2020.

Ashok Leyland has established a new company called Ashok Leyland Defence System Ltd to pursue its interest in this sector.

Noting that the company was one of the early entrants in the defence sector, he said, "Today, we are the largest private supplier to the armed forces in India with our Ashok Leyland Stallion".

Apart from the Stallion, Ashok Leyland offers customised transport solutions on the Colt and Super Stallion platforms too.

With a rich portfolio featuring among others rapid intervention vehicles, field artillery tractors, light recovery vehicles, water bowsers, truck fire fighters and fuel dispensers, Ashok Leyland is well-placed in the defence mobility space.