The Indian Army is simultaneously pursuing the fulfilment of several outstanding tactical vehicle requirements. The Army is poised to continue to acquire locally manufactured tactical vehicles on a large scale over the course of the coming decade as it modernises its vast transport, logistics and utility vehicle stocks to a more modern standard and replaces its remaining stocks of foreign designs with high-quality indigenous vehicles.
The HMV will serve as a long-term replacement for the Czech-designed Force series of trucks, previously produced under license by Indian state-owned manufacturer BEML Ltd in order to fulfil the same operational functions as the new HMVs.
In 2016, Ashok Leyland executives outlined recent Stallion series orders by the Indian Army in a television interview with local media. The most recent specialised purchase consisted of 450 Super Stallion vehicles and 850 4×4 ambulance variants. According to the executives, Ashok Leyland delivers an average of 2,500 Stallion vehicles to the Indian military on an annual basis.
The long-term requirement to procure large quantities of modernised, locally manufactured vehicle stocks will ensure a steady stream of follow-on orders for tactical vehicles by the Indian military through the next decade and beyond.
Indian tactical vehicles also generate considerable sales on the international defence market, particularly in Southeast Asia and Africa, although the reporting of orders and finalised deliveries in this domain remains largely opaque.
Reports indicate that Ashok Leyland tactical vehicles were sold to Zimbabwe to the tune of over 600 units in 2016, and Malawi was rumoured to be on the verge of signing a similarly large deal with the company that same year. However, it is unclear if an order ultimately materialised.
Although domestic requirements will remain the primary driver of demand for Indian tactical vehicles through the next ten years, medium-scale export sales of defence products to countries in Africa and Southeast Asia are an increasingly important and profitable source of additional revenue for Indian automotive contractors.