Tata LPTA

Tata LPTA
Vehicle Factory Jabalpur (VFJ)'s LPTA 715 4X4 Truck for the Indian Army
Type	Heavy/medium tactical truck
Place of origin	India
Service history
In service	2015–present
Used by	Indian Army
Production history
Designer	Tata Motors
Designed	2012
Manufacturer	Tata Motors
Produced	2015–present
Variants	LPTA 716 4×4 LPTA 2038 6×6 LPTA 3138 8×8 LPTA 4545 10×10 LPTA 5252 12×12 Nirbhay, BrahMos Missile Transporter erector launcher
Specifications
Mass	23,000 kg (51,000 lb) (6×6) 27,200 kg (60,000 lb) (8×8)
Crew	2/4
Armor	up-armour ready
Engine	Cummins ISLe/ ISXe 6-cylinder inline, water-cooled diesel 155 hp (116 kW) - 525 hp (391 kW)
Payload capacity	8.5tons to 33tons
Transmission	Manual(6×6,8×8) Automatic (12×12)
Suspension	Front : Parabolic Suspension Rear : Semi Elliptical Multi Leaf Springs
Fuel capacity	400 l (106 US gal)
Operational range	600 km (loaded)
Maximum speed	80 km/h
Steering system	Hydraulic Power Steering - Pneumatically Tiltable & Adjustable Telescopic Steering Column

The Tata LPTA is a military truck family developed and produced by Indian automobile manufacturer Tata Motors. The trucks are available in 4×4,6×6,8×8,10×10 and 12×12 configurations. With extreme off-road capabilities, they are proposed as replacement for Czech-designed Tatra trucks currently used by Indian armed forces.

History

The Indian Army is one of the biggest users of Tatra trucks in the world with over 10,000 trucks of various types in service. Because of their high-operational flexibility and functional adaptability they formed the backbone of army's tactical & mobilisation capability. These trucks were license-produced in India by BEML, a public sector company. Following the Tatra bribery scam, a ban was imposed on Tatra and the supply of these trucks stopped. Thus, the development of multi axle tactical trucks was started by Tata to meet Army's requirements.

Design

The vehicles have cab over engine modular design. The cab can hold two crew and four passengers. There are 2 roof hatches for firing, observation and emergency exit. The trucks are equipped with a hydraulic crane for loading/unloading equipments. They also come with Central tire inflation system which inflates/deflates tyres according to terrain requirements. For driver's comfort, cab is equipped with HVAC.^{[Clarification needed]} There is a self recovery winch in the front as well.

The 6×6 and 8×8 variants are powered by a Cummins ISLe engine developing 375 horsepower while the 12×12 variant comes with a Cummins ISXe engine with a maximum of 525 horsepower. 4×4, 6×6, 8×8 variants are mated to a 10 speed (9F+1R) manual transmission while the 12×12 variant comes with an automatic transmission.

Production

In July 2015, Tata won a contract for supplying 1,239 trucks of 6×6 variant to the Indian Army. In March 2016, an additional order for 619 more trucks was placed. The total order was worth 1300 crores making it the biggest order to a local private supplier.

The 8×8 variant has been selected to be the platform for SPYDER Short Range Surface to Air Missiles. Tata has also proposed the 12×12 variant for Nirbhay missile Transporter erector launcher and 8×8 for Pinaka MBRL.^{[citation needed]}

Around 15,000 trucks of 4×4 variant are also in service with Indian Army, all manufactured by the Vehicle Factory Jabalpur (VFJ).

Specifications

Model	Drivetrain	Power	Cargo capacity	Gross weight	Notes
713	4x4	115.5 kW (154.9 hp)	2,500 kg (5,500 lb)	7,750 kg (17,090 lb)
1628	4x4	115.5 kW (154.9 hp)		7,750 kg (17,090 lb)
2038	6x6	276 kW (370 hp)	8,500 kg (18,700 lb)	23,000 kg (51,000 lb)
1826	6x6	276 kW (370 hp)	7.5T tow	13,945 kg (30,743 lb)	Recovery vehicle
3138	8x8	276 kW (370 hp)	18,000 kg (40,000 lb)	27,200 kg (60,000 lb)
5252	12x12	391 kW (524 hp)	33,000 kg (73,000 lb)	53,800 kg (118,600 lb)