The Shaktiman (Strong) is a version of the

MAN 415 A man is an adult male human. Prior to adulthood, a male human is referred to as a boy (a male child or adolescent). Like most other male mammals, a man's genome usually inherits an X chromosome from the mother and a Y chromos ...

built under licence. Shaktiman trucks were the most widely used medium-capacity trucks of the

Indian Armed Forces The Indian Armed Forces are the military forces of the Republic of India. It consists of three professional uniformed services: the Indian Army, Indian Navy, and Indian Air Force.—— Additionally, the Indian Armed Forces are supported by ...

. They were manufactured between 1959 and 1996 by the

Vehicle Factory Jabalpur Vehicle Factory Jabalpur (Hindi: वाहन निर्माणी जबलपुर), is a military motor vehicle factory, located in Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh, India, part of Armoured Vehicles Nigam Limited which was previously a part of ...

, (VFJ) of the Indian

Ordnance Factories Board Ordnance Factory Board (OFB), consisting of the Indian Ordnance Factories, now known as Directorate of Ordnance (Coordination & Services) was an organisation, under the Department of Defence Production (DDP) of Ministry of Defence (MoD), Gove ...

. Over 75,000 units were produced over its lifetime, of which about 7,000 remained in active service as of 2009. Nearly all the Shaktimans have been phased out and replaced by

Ashok Leyland Stallion The Stallion range of trucks is produced by Vehicle Factory Jabalpur (VFJ) of Armoured Vehicles Nigam Limited (previously Ordnance Factory Board) for the Indian Armed Forces. The Stallion forms the logistical backbone of the Indian Armed Forc ...

and Tata LPTA 713 4x4s.

Production

The first Shaktiman rolled off the production line at the Vehicle Factory Jabalpur (VFJ) motorvehicle factory in 1959. The five ton Shaktiman VFJ 4X4 model was based on the MAN 415. The first units were assembled using CKD-kits from Germany, the monthly production was about 250 units. As production had built up, an increasing number of the components were supplied by Indian suppliers. The final significant order of 3000 trucks was received in 1993 from the

Indian Army The Indian Army is the land-based branch and the largest component of the Indian Armed Forces. The President of India is the Supreme Commander of the Indian Army, and its professional head is the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), who is a four- ...

. This order was fulfilled by 1996. The infrastructure for the truck production was preserved for a few more years as a backup contingency option. The ''Shaktiman'' production line was dismantled in 2003. Shaktiman models were built using all-steel cabs with flat angular surfaces to aid manufacture. Most Shaktimans had a multifuel capable, 130 PS diesel engine, and were fitted with switchable all-wheel drive. In total, over 75000 units of the truck in various configurations were produced for the Indian Armed Forces by VFJ over its lifetime.

Design and development

The ''Shaktiman'' uses the conventional truck design, and is based on the

MAN A man is an adult male human. Prior to adulthood, a male human is referred to as a boy (a male child or adolescent). Like most other male mammals, a man's genome usually inherits an X chromosome from the mother and a Y chromos ...

415 L1 AR truck. Over time, the design was customised and evolved by VFJ with the major focus being indigenisation, and upting it. In the last few decades of its production, the truck was built entirely with components supplied by Indian vendors.

Variants

The ''Shaktiman'' chassis was adapted into a wide range of variants, including: * 4x4 and 4x2 hard and soft top variants * 4000 litre fuel tankers * 4000 litre water tankers * Versions for carrying shelter bodies, primarily for theatre communications and sensor systems * Artillery tractors with crew shelters * A version with gross weightage of 8350 kg for towing 105 mm light field guns and other

howitzer A howitzer () is a long- ranged weapon, falling between a cannon (also known as an artillery gun in the United States), which fires shells at flat trajectories, and a mortar, which fires at high angles of ascent and descent. Howitzers, like ot ...

References

External links

Ordnance Factory Board of India's website on the Shaktiman
{{DEFAULTSORT:Shaktiman truck Military trucks of India