Tata Motors joined hands with the Indian Army to indigenously develop an armoured amphibious vehicle: the Kestrel.

I love my job. I drive cars, and they are a whole lot of fun. However, a drive in an armoured vehicle developed by Tata Motors was like taking this to an altogether new level.

I was both intrigued and eager to see what the Kestrel was all about. Since it is an amphibious vehicle, I had imagined it to be a rather small one, with a minimum seating capacity and a small motor. As our car pulled closer, I espied this hulking machine parked right in the middle of the road. I was astounded by the sheer size of this armoured beast — ‘intimidating’ would be an understatement. Even the Safari that brought me here looked like a HotWheels car. Such is the Kestrel’s imposing presence.

It is stupendously huge; it is a multi-wheeled armoured amphibious vehicle with various tactical and technical features. The outer body is made of solid steel, which can take care of threat levels ranging from STANAG 1 to STANAG 4. The 8×8 drive line with independent suspension enables it to tackle all types of terrain with ease. The front two axles are steerable, and present the Kestrel with a 19-meter turning radius, effectively making it easier to manoeuvre. All the eight run-flat tyres come with CTIS as standard (ability to fill and lo ose tyre pressure automatically).

Despite its solid exterior, the Kestrel is very comfortable inside and is capable of seating 12 people. Up front, the driver and commander have their own roof hatches, while the rear compartment gets a hydraulically operated door and a roof hatch.

In spite of being well-protected, the Kestrel is also equipped to carry firearms. Provisions have been made to carry a 30-mm Remote Weapon System (RWS) with 2x fire and missiles, in addition to the 7.62 medium machine gun (MMG) and automatic grenade launcher (AGL). Formidable fire-power that is.

The most interesting feature, however, is the Kestrel’s amphibious quality. Despite its humongous size and 22-tonne weight it can manoeuvre through water at a speed of 10 kmph, thanks to the two propellers at the rear. The Kestrel is powered by a 600 PS engine, which is mated to a nine-speed automatic transmission, enabling it to clock a top speed of 100 kmph.

After the briefing about the vehicle and what it is capable of, I jumped in, belted up and was ready to go for a short spin. The Kestrel picked up speed pretty quickly and I did not feel as if I was sitting in a 22-tonne armoured vehicle. The impression I got was the one that this monster of a vehicle is easy to manoeuvre.

Tata Motors seems to have put in a lot of work in the development of the Kestrel. It is great to see Indian automotive firms working so closely with the armed forces to improve their vehicular prowess. With Kestrel at their disposal, India’s armed forces will be that much more impressive.