×
Aircraft / Aviation Vehicles & Artillery Small Arms Warships & Submarines Military Ranks Military Pay Chart (2024) Special Forces
HOME
ARMOR INDEX
MODERN ARMIES
ARMOR BY COUNTRY
VEHICLE MANUFACTURERS
COMPARE VEHICLES
VEHICLES BY CONFLICT
VEHICLES BY TYPE
VEHICLES BY DECADE
MODERN TANKS
MODERN ARTILLERY
Land Systems / Battlefield

TATA Motors Kestrel


8x8 Amphibious Armored Fighting Vehicle (AFV) [ 2017 ]



The TATA Kestral 8x8 Armored Fighting Vehicle was unveiled at Defexpo 2014 and forms a possible contender to the Indian Army Futuristic Infantry Combat Vehicle program.



Authored By: Staff Writer | Last Edited: 07/12/2017 | Content ©www.MilitaryFactory.com | The following text is exclusive to this site.

VIEW SPECIFICATIONS [+]
Alongside its new Light Armored Multipurpose Vehicle (LAMV) showcased at DEFEXPO 2014, TATA Motors unveiled its "Kestrel" 8x8 amphibious wheeled armored personnel carrier marking a decided move by Indian military industry away from Western or Russian offerings. The vehicle has been design by DRDO ("Defence Research and Development Organisation") and follows many of the well-accepted lines of contemporary multi-wheeled armored fighting vehicles seen elsewhere. The Kestrel is being developed with the intention to replace the aged and outgoing stocks of Soviet-era BMP vehicles currently in service and forms a possible solution to the Indian Army's Futuristic Infantry Combat Vehicle (FICV) endeavor.

Taking recent global warfare results into account, the Kestrel has been designed with a modern approach to crew survivability, given a resistance level against small arms fire, shell splinters and concealed explosives. The armor is made up of applique and composites along with welded steel. Additional armor kits can be applied for improved protection in heavy-fire warzones. The hull floor is further protected against mines and similar threats. Its 8x8 wheel configuration is suspended atop an independent hydropneumatic system utilizing a double wishbone arrangement. All wheels feature a "run-flat" capability to allow the vehicle to get out of trouble even after suffering a puncture. Of the four axles, the forward set are steerable which reduces such a long vehicle's turning radius. The glacis plate is very shallow, allowing for inherent ballistics protection from the front. Of particular note in the Kestrel design is its external mounting of the fuel stores - provided as an additional crew survivability feature.©MilitaryFactory.com
A standard operating crew is two to include the driver and commander (seated in line offset to the right side of the vehicle). The standard turret installation (Kongsberg Protector MCT-30R) can also accept a roof-mounted Remote Weapons Station (RWS). The standard arrangement sees the vehicle field a 30mm autocannon and 7.62mm coaxial machine gun. The remote weapons station adds a 12.7mm heavy machine gun. Sources also state a 40mm automatic grenade launcher in the mix. The vehicle is further granted support stations for up to 2 x Anti-Tank Guided Missile (ATGM) launchers. In this way, a single vehicle can counter enemy infantry, light armored vehicles and frontline combat tanks. Firing ports along the hull side introduces the prospect of passenger infantry bringing their personal weapons to bear in a firefight.

A further ten occupants can be carried in the rear passenger compartment (the engine mounted at the front-left side of the hull to accommodate the rear cabin area). The passengers line a center seating area in a back-to-back fashion (facing outwards towards the sides of the hull). A large, rectangular powered door at the rear hull lowers to act as a ramp for quickly embarking/disembarking occupants. The Kestrel has also been made fully amphibious, able to traverse water sources deeper than its height and propelled by the two available waterjets found at the lower corners of the hull rear.

Performance specifications from the diesel-fueled engine includes a maximum road speed of 62 miles per hour. Of course this is considerably reduced when traversing water sources.

The Indian Army expects it would have to procure some 2,000 Kestrel Armored Personnel Carriers to replace its entire fleet of BMPs.©MilitaryFactory.com
Note: The above text is EXCLUSIVE to the site www.MilitaryFactory.com. It is the product of many hours of research and work made possible with the help of contributors, veterans, insiders, and topic specialists. If you happen upon this text anywhere else on the internet or in print, please let us know at MilitaryFactory AT gmail DOT com so that we may take appropriate action against the offender / offending site and continue to protect this original work.

Specifications



Tata / DRDO - India
Manufacturer(s)
India
Operators National flag of India
2017
Service Year
India
National Origin
2 + 12
Crew
1
Units


AMPHIBIOUS ASSAULT
Traverse bodies of open water under own power with / without preparation.
INFANTRY SUPPORT
Support allied ground forces through weapons, inherent capabilities, and / or onboard systems.


25.6 ft
(7.8 meters)
Length
9.7 ft
(2.95 meters)
Width
7.5 ft
(2.28 meters)
Height
55,116 lb
(25,000 kg)
Weight
27.6 tons
(Medium-class)
Tonnage


1 x Diesel-fueled engine.
Drive System
62 mph
(100 kph)
Road Speed


STANDARD:
1 x 30mm automatic cannon
1 x 7.62mm coaxial machine gun
2 x Anti-Tank Guided Missile (ATGM) launchers

OPTIONAL (with Remote Weapons Station:
1 x 12.7mm heavy machine gun
1 x 40mm automatic grenade launcher
AMMUNITION
Not Available.


Kestrel - Base Series Designation


Military lapel ribbon for the American Civil War
Military lapel ribbon for pioneering aircraft
Military lapel ribbon for the Arab-Israeli War
Military lapel ribbon for the Battle of the Bulge
Military lapel ribbon for the Battle of Kursk
Military lapel ribbon for the Cold War
Military lapel ribbon for the Falklands War
Military lapel ribbon for the Indo-Pak Wars
Military lapel ribbon for the Korean War
Military lapel ribbon for the 1991 Gulf War
Military lapel ribbon representing modern aircraft
Military lapel ribbon for the Soviet-Afghan War
Military lapel ribbon for the Spanish Civil War
Military lapel ribbon for the Ukranian-Russian War
Military lapel ribbon for the Vietnam War
Military lapel ribbon for the World War 1
Military lapel ribbon for the World War 2
Military lapel ribbon for the Yom Kippur War
Military lapel ribbon for experimental military vehicles

Images



1 / 1
Image of the TATA Motors Kestrel
Image copyright www.MilitaryFactory.com; No Reproduction Permitted.

Disclaimer | Privacy Policy | Cookies

2024 Military Pay Chart Military Ranks DoD Dictionary Conversion Calculators Military Alphabet Code Military Map Symbols

The "Military Factory" name and MilitaryFactory.com logo are registered ® U.S. trademarks protected by all applicable domestic and international intellectual property laws. All written content, illustrations, and photography are unique to this website (unless where indicated) and not for reuse/reproduction in any form. Material presented throughout this website is for historical and entertainment value only and should not to be construed as usable for hardware restoration, maintenance, or general operation. We do not sell any of the items showcased on this site. Please direct all other inquiries to militaryfactory AT gmail.com. No A.I. was used in the generation of this content; site is 100% curated by humans.

Part of a network of sites that includes GlobalFirepower, a data-driven property used in ranking the top military powers of the world, WDMMA.org (World Directory of Modern Military Aircraft), WDMMW.org (World Directory of Modern Military Warships), SR71blackbird.org, detailing the history of the world's most iconic spyplane, and MilitaryRibbons.info, cataloguing military medals and ribbons. Special Interest: RailRoad Junction, the locomotive encyclopedia.


©2023 www.MilitaryFactory.com • All Rights Reserved • Content ©2003-2023 (20yrs)