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Kestrel 8x8 Wheeled Armored Amphibious Platform (WHAP / WAP)

Tata Motors is the first private sector OEM in India which has developed WhAP (Wheeled Armored Amphibious Platform), an Infantry Combat Vehicle, designed for optimized survivability, all-terrain performance and increased lethality jointly with the Indian Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO).

The KESTREL is a Wheeled Armored Amphibious Platform, designed and developed indigenously by Tata with DRDO, for optimised survivability, all-terrain performance and increased lethality. The vehicle platform was developed jointly with the DRDO's Vehicle Research & Development Establishment (VRDE) in Pune. As of 2020 the WHaP was still in the trial phase including high-altitude and floating tests.

The occupant capacity of the hull is 12 members. The driver in combat mode has visibility through 3 periscopes and a display catching vision through front and rear view cameras, with day and night vision. The back to back seating layout allows firing through the 3 gun ports on each side, with two big hatches for patrolling. The fuel tanks are placed outside the crew compartment for additional safety. The 8X8 independently suspended vehicle has high power-to-weight ratio for mountain terrains. The vehicle can accommodate different variety of weapon stations and turrets as the application demands.

When the Indian Army will launch the acquisition of its wheeled armoured component is still to be seen. In October 2019 the Indian Army issued Request for Information (RFI) to procure 198 Wheeled Armoured Fighting Vehicle (WH AFV) Recce & Support (R & Sp) for its wheeled reconnaissance and support battalions. Armament would include two twin lr ATGM with capability of fire and forget, tandem warhead to achieve a min penetration of 650mm of RHA beyond ERA day & night firing capability, hit probability of more than 90%, minimum achievable range not more than 500m and maximum range not less than 4 km in direct firing mode. Main Gun & Secondary Armament would be 30mm Cannon with 7.62mm Coaxial Machine Gun (both weapons should be capable of firing in service ammunition). (Remote Controlled Weapon Station is desirable). Internal Stowage of 500 rounds of 30 mm ammunition & 2000 rounds of 7.62 mm ammunition.

According to the RFI, the vendor should be capable to supply the entire quantity of vehicles within 4 yrs of the signing of the contract. The Request for Proposal (RFP) for the project was tentatively scheduled for issue by July 2020. The 198 Wheeled Armoured Fighting Vehicle (WH AFV) can be supplied under Buy Indian IDDM. On 09 August 2020 the Indian government released a list of 101 systems that would be progressively banned for importation between December 2020 and December 2025. Since 2015 India had spent more importing arms from abroad than any other country save Saudi Arabia.

The General Staff Qualitative Requirement (GSQR) converts operational requirements into technical parameters. From its original formulation, to its final acceptance, it travels through many levels of military bureaucracy. The Army, could, in some instances, accept less than their demand and try to make up through the human factor which is their predominant strength.

"The armed forces have to get rid of their dependence on exorbitant foreign weapon systems & ensure that ‘Make in India’ doesn't remain a slogan, Gen Bipin Rawat said May 2020. Rawat said a domestic defence-industrial base needs to be built even if indigenous weapon systems were initially produced with “reduced technical specifications.” The country’s first tri-service chief said :"We are not expeditionary forces that have to deploy around the globe. We have to guard and fight only along our borders and, of course, dominate the Indian Ocean Region. So, we should not go in for large amounts of imports by misrepresenting our operational requirements..... We need to be realistic, start adjusting and have a major relook at our operational priorities and what we actually need. Arms imports, along with supply of spares and maintenance, have become increasingly cost prohibitive."

Rawat said there was no other option but to build a robust domestic defence-industrial base, even if indigenous weapon systems were initially produced with “reduced technical specifications” or GSQRs (general staff qualitative requirements) than those framed by the armed forces. "We should boost ‘Make in India’ by hand-holding our domestic industry even if they deliver weapons with only 70% of the GSQRs in the beginning…given the opportunity, they will eventually deliver cutting-edge technology,” he said. Proponents claim the Kestrel already meets more than 70% of GSQR.

The ban on imported “wheeled armoured fighting vehicles” seemed carved out for Tata’s Wheeled Armoured Protection (WhAP) vehicle mating the hull of the 8X8 Kestrel APC with the turret of a BMP-2 fighting vehicle. Initially, the Indian Army was reportedly looking to procure vehicles outfitted with anti-tank missile launchers for service on the border with Pakistan, by mid-2020 there were reports suggesting the troop-carrier model might be purchase for deployment in Ladakh, facing China. India also investigated purchasing the Stryker infantry combat vehicle or Humvees used by the US Army, though the import ban implied the Indian Army’s selection process would not include such options.

Tata Motors, the country’s leading supplier of mobility solutions to the armed + security forces, today showcased two new combat vehicles at the DEFEXPO 2014. As part of the company’s strategy to enhance the scope of its defence business right up to frontline combat, Tata Motors showcased the ‘KESTREL’, a Wheeled Armoured Amphibious Platform providing mobility to frontline soldiers, carrying them into the battle zone, with critical armour-protection, backed with adequate fire support. While a production order still awaited, India’s DRDO exhibited once again its WhAP 8×8, the acronym standing for Wheeled Armoured Platform, at Defexpo 2020, the vehicle having been unveiled years earlier at the same exhibition. The vehicle on show was the Infantry Fighting Vehicle version, fitted with the BMP-2 turret.

The WhAP with its BMP-2 turret offers a new generation of combat vehicle offering a high level of protection, mobility based on an 8x8 chassis and firepower with the turret armed with a stabilised 30 mm cannon 2A42 and a 7.62 mm PKT coaxial machine gun mounted to the left of the main armament with 2,000 rounds. Mounted on the turret roof between the gunner's and commander's hatches is a launcher for an AT-4 Spigot or AT-5 Spandrel ATGM (Anti-Tank Guided Missile) which has a maximum range of 4,000m.

Development of WhAP 8x8 Amphibious Wheeled Armoured Vehicle with common platform is for various intended roles. Development of WhAP 8 x 8 Amphibious Wheeled Armoured Vehicle with common platform is for various intended roles like Wheeled APC, 30 mm Infantry Combat Vehicle, 105 mm Light Tank, command post vehicle, ambulance, special purpose platform, 120 mm mortar carrier, CBRN Vehicle. The four axles vehicle was designed to be adapted to numerous roles, such as Armoured personnel Carrier, Reconnaissance and Support, CBRN reconnaissance, Light Tank with a medium to heavy calibre gun, etc.

The vehicle is used in 8×8 mode on difficult terrain, however an 8×4 mode option is available. The Gross Vehicle Weight can vary considerably depending on configuration, DRDO declaring a 19 to 26 tonnes GVW, 24 tonnes being the limit if amphibious capabilities are required, which is the GVW of the Armoured Personnel carrier configuration. In that version a 600 hp Cummins ISXe 600 turbocharged diesel engine is fitted, however two other power ratings can be made available for lighter configurations, DRDO’s aim being to maintain a power-to-weight ratio of over 23 hp/tonne, thus a 440-450 hp solution might be that for the lower weight versions.

An Allison 4500SP automatic transmission is fitted, together with a two-speed transfer case, off road maximum speed being 35 km/h while on-road the WhAP 8×8 can speed up to 100 km/h, while in the water it can reach a maximum of 8 km/h; cruising ranges are respectively 500 km and 250 km on- and off-road. The vehicle is fitted with live axles with independent hydro-pneumatic suspensions with front double whish bone and rear trailing arm. The two front axles are steerable, the vehicle being fitted with a power assisted steering system, tires are 14R20 with run-flat inserts, the WhAP 8×8 having a Central Tire Inflation System as standard. The DRDO-developed 8×8 can cope with a 58% gradient and a 36% side slope, while it can overcome a vertical step of 0.6 meters and cross a trench 1.8 meters wide. No details on protection levels are provided, however the double V-shaped floor and the energy absorbing seats show well that the WhAP 8×8 was designed with mine and IED resistance in mind. The IFV version has six seats in the rear compartment, to which must be added the three vehicle crew members.

Length and width are respectively 7.85 and 3.0 meters, while height at the hull is 2.3 meters, which is increased up to 3.25 meters when the BMP-2 turret is fitted, providing the vehicle with the typical armament made of the 2A42 30 mm automatic cannon, the PKT 7.62 mm coaxial machine gun and with an AT-4 antitank missile. The WhAP is powered by a 600 hp. diesel engine. It can reach a maximum road speed of 100 km/h. For amphibious operations, the WhAP is propelled in the water at a maximum speed of 10 km/h thanks to two hydrojets mounted at the rear of the vehicle.

Tata Motors is the first private sector OEM in India which has developed WhAP (Wheeled Armored Amphibious Platform), an Infantry Combat Vehicle, designed for optimized survivability, all-terrain performance and increased lethality. Tata Motors has been associated with the country’s off-road defence and security forces, since 1958 and has supplied over 100,000 vehicles to the Indian military and Paramilitary forces, so far. The company offers its products and services that not only meet the needs of the domestic market, but are also positioned to meet most stringent requirements across the world. Tata Motors is India’s largest automobile company, with consolidated revenues of Rs. 1, 88,818 crores ($ 34.7 billion) in 2012-13. Through subsidiaries and associate companies, Tata Motors has operations in the UK, South Korea, Thailand, South Africa and Indonesia. Among them is Jaguar Land Rover, the business comprising the two iconic British brands. It also has an industrial joint venture with Fiat in India.

As tensions continue to escalate between India and China over the de-facto Line of Actual Control, by September 2020 the moment had been used to the fullest by both the armies to test new mountain warfare equipment and other weaponry. DRDO-TATA Kestrel (WhAP) which was till recently in photos only, landed at Ladakh undergoing cold weather trials. With the new BMP-2 upgrades sought by the Indian Army to fill in the vacuum until Kestrel is deemed fit for service, the critical gap between the Soviet-era BMPs and the modern APCs remained. The ongoing conflict at Ladakh and subsequent testing might hasten the development and acquisition process.