India gets WhAPs with Kongsberg 30mm remote-controlled cannon
NEW DELHI, ($1=75.72 Indian Rupees) — The Government of India has put into operation a Wheeled Armored Amphibious Platform or WhAP jointly built between the Indian company TATA and the Indian Defense Research and Development Organization [DRDO], BulgarianMilitary.com has learned.
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According to Indian sources, TATA has started deliveries of the vehicle, and initially, they went to the Indian police for operational implementation. Army Recognition writes that most likely WhAPs will be used on the border with Tibet [Ladakh region], due to the specifics of camouflage. Sources say that this operational assignment is a kind of test for working at high altitudes.
Kestrel WhAP 8×8 [so-called WhAP] was first presented nearly seven years ago at the international defense and security exhibition DefExpo 2014. For the next four years, Kestrel WhAP 8×8 regularly participates in the same exhibition.
More about Kestrel WhAP 8×8
Kestrel WhAP 8×8 has 600 horsepower provided by the Cummins ISX 600 engine at 1,250 pound-feet of torque. The maximum speed it can reach is 100 km / h, and with a tank full of fuel it can travel no more than 500 km. The engine has a turbocharger with variable geometry.
The main armament of the Kestrel WhAP 8×8 is a 30mm Kongsberg cannon, which can be controlled remotely. In India, it is suggested that at a later stage this cannon may be replaced by the BHEL-DRDO, an Indian weapon system that is already beginning to be integrated into other combat vehicles. Kongsberg 30mm remote-controlled cannon can fire various types of ammunition such as armor-piercing incendiary [API], high-explosive incendiary [HEI], and armor-piercing, stabilized with fins ejecting sabotage projectiles [APFSDS-T].
A 12.7mm machine gun mounted on a turret is the secondary weapon. Separately, Kestrel WhAP 8×8 has an anti-tank missile system AT-4 Spigot.
The armored vehicle weighs approximately 25 tons and is nearly 8 meters long. It has composite and additional armor plates located on the body of the vehicle, which is made of high-strength steel. It can accommodate and transport up to 12 soldiers in a sitting position. The hydraulically operated entrance door is mounted at the rear of the armored vehicle.
Kestrel WhAP 8×8 has filter systems, a sealed cabin, climate control, which is automatic.
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