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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.

Image copyright www.MilitaryFactory.com; No Reproduction Permitted.

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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.

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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.

Specifications

Service Year

2017

Origin

India

Crew

2 + 12
CREWMEN

Production

1
UNITS

Tata / DRDO - India

(View other Vehicle-Related Manufacturers)

India

(OPERATORS list includes past, present, and future operators when applicable)

✓ 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.

Length

25.6 ft
7.8 m

Width

9.7 ft
2.95 m

Height

7.5 ft
2.28 m

Weight

55,116 lb
25,000 kg

Tonnage

27.6 tons
MEDIUM

(Showcased structural values pertain to the base TATA Motors Kestrel production variant. Length typically includes main gun in forward position if applicable to the design)

Powerplant: 1 x Diesel-fueled engine.

Speed

62.1 mph
(100.0 kph)

(Showcased performance specifications pertain to the base TATA Motors Kestrel production variant. Compare this entry against any other in our database)

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

Supported Types

Graphical image of a tank automatic cannon

Graphical image of a tank anti-tank guided missile

Graphical image of a tank medium machine gun

Graphical image of a tank heavy machine gun

Graphical image of infantry-level automatic grenade launcher

(Not all weapon types may be represented in the showcase above)

Not Available.

Kestrel - Base Series Designation

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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.

Specifications

Images Gallery