New Delhi: In a major success for the 'Make in India' initiative, the Kingdom of Morocco's Royal Armed Forces and Tata Advanced Systems signed a deal for local production of Wheeled Armoured Platform.
According to an official statement from Tata Advanced Systems (Tata Aerospace & Defence), it said, "Kingdom of Morocco's Royal Armed Forces and Tata Advanced Systems sign deal for local production of Wheeled Armoured Platform."
"Developed in collaboration with the DRDO and Tata Motors, this marks a significant milestone as we expand our footprint overseas as a Defence OEM," it said.
According to the contract, the vehicles will be supplied to the Moroccan forces over a period of three years. This will be the biggest contract for Indian-made armoured vehicles, both within and outside the country. The Indian paramilitary forces have also placed orders for the indigenous armoured vehicle.
Trials of the vehicle have been ongoing in Morocco for the last several months. The manufacturers will work closely with DRDO teams to provide input for upgrades to the vehicles during the supply period, officials said.
WhAP is an indigenously designed and developed amphibious wheeled combat vehicle.
According to DRDO, the design philosophy of this platform aligns with global trends and focuses on modularity, scalability, and reconfigurability to adapt the platform for various roles.
The WhAP can easily navigate through muddy or slushy terrain and has the capability to withstand mine blasts. Variants of the WhAP, including the Infantry Protected Mobility Vehicle (IPMV) and the paramilitary version, have been inducted into the Indian Army and paramilitary forces.
