Indian Army to Procure 3192 Units of Tata Safari Storme

Last year in December we reported that the much loved and the rather iconic Maruti Suzuki Gypsy will soon stop serving the Indian Army. And that our Army had decided to replace the Gypsy with the Safari Storme. Tata Motors has just confirmed this news and has announced the Indian Army has placed an initial order of 3192 units. It maybe noted that the Gypsy has served our Armed Forces for over 25 years now. However, one simply can’t run away from the fact that the Gypsy has got really long in the tooth now. Also, the Gypsy doesn’t have a Diesel heart, which has been a major drawback of this vehicle. No wonder then, that, the Indian Army has decided to procure 3192 units of the Safari Storme.

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Our Army shortlisted the Tata Safari Storme and the Mahindra Scorpio in 2013, after having conducted rigorous technical tests on a set of vehicles. These tests were conducted in various environments, which put to test various attributes of the vehicles in challenging conditions. The Safari Storme and the Scorpio emerged out as the top choices in these tests. Finally, the Safari Storme was zeroed in on due to a lower bid by Tata Motors Our Forces have placed an initial order of 3,192 vehicles with Tata Motors. This will be Tata Motors’ second important deal with our Army in 2016. The company earlier bagged a ₹ 1,300 crore order for supplying high-mobility military trucks to the army.

Inducted into the Army in 1991, the Maruti Gypsy has proved its mantle by successfully playing varied roles. The Gypsy has won many hearts due to its great off-road capabilities, low cost of maintenance and high reliability. However, a low fuel efficiency and less petrol filling stations in remote areas has proven to be quite a drawback.

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The Safari Storme, however, has a Diesel heart that’s not very thirsty. Powering the Tata Safari Storme is a 2.2-litre four-cylinder turbo Diesel that pumps out 154 BHP and 400 Nm. It comes paired to a 6-speed manual transmission. It also offers a shift-on-fly 4×4 system from Borg Warner. Tata is yet to announce the details of the Army-spec Storme. However, it’s likely to get panniers, auxiliary lights and some more additions. It is also likely to get extra structural reinforcements.

There are presently more than 30,000 Gypsys being used by the Armed Forces. These will be phased out and replaced by the Safari Storme over the next few years. Maruti Suzuki, however, is likely to continue building the Gypsy for civilian use. The Gypsy can be booked at an authorized Maruti Suzuki dealership by paying the entire cost of the vehicle. Currently the Gypsy retails for roughly Rs. 7.5 Lakh.

Tata Safari Storme Specifications

Commenting on the recently bagged order, Vernon Noronha, Vice President, Defence & Government Business, Tata Motors Limited said, “We are very proud to have received this prestigious order for over 3000 units of the Safari Storme under the newly formed GS800 category. Tata Motors has been a leading supplier of mobility solutions to the Indian Armed Forces and this order is a testimony to our partnership with the country’s security forces. This variant of the Storme has been modified from the one available for civilians with an upgraded drivetrain and significantly modified suspension. The Safari Storme was conceived and designed keeping in mind the need for a rugged, comfortable and reliable vehicle, making it popular with law enforcement agencies. We will shortly commence delivery of these vehicles for the Army and Navy in a phased manner.”