Mumbai: Tata Motors Ltd on Thursday said it had signed a contract for supply of 3,192 units of the Safari Storme 4x4 to the Indian armed forces under a new category of vehicles called General Service 800.

The Storme will replace the Maruti Gypsy in the 4x4 light vehicle category. Over 35,000 Gypsies are due for replacement in the coming years.

The ministry of defence had floated a price request for vehicles with three basic criteria—minimum payload capacity of 800 kilograms, hard roofs and air-conditioning.

Developed indigenously, the Storme 4x4 has completed a total trial duration of 15 months in various terrains across the country.

Tata Motors has been working towards becoming a full-range combat vehicle firm, with the ambition of becoming a strategic partner to the ministry of defence in defence mobility solutions. It’s also one of the bidders for the futuristic infantry combat vehicles (FICV) programme and for participating in other combat vehicle programmes of the ministry of defence like the FRCV (Future Ready Combat Vehicle), to replace the T-72 battle tank and the FMBT (Future Main Battle Tank).

The defence sector in India is expecting an expenditure of $130-150 billion on modernization and restructuring in the coming decade to achieve the goal of self-reliance.

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