About a year ago, Tata Motors had formally signed a contract to supply as many as 3,192 units of Safari Storme to the Indian Armed Forces. As we had reported earlier, the Safari Storme beat its prime rival, the Scorpio to become the choice of general vehicle for the Indian Armed forces. This conclusion was achieved after more than a year of rigorous testing conducted in various terrains across the country. Tata Motors has now officially begun deliveries of the Army-spec Safari Storme SUV.
The new Tata Safari Storme for the Indian army is categorised under the new GS800 (General Service 800) vehicle classification, which subscribes to the basic criteria of a capable hardtop vehicle with air-conditioning and a minimum payload of 800kg.
A new set of images show the Army-spec Tata Safari Storme from all angles. The SUV gets unique matte-green paint and is devoid of its chrome trim in order to avoid any type of reflection. The erstwhile chrome-bits are either painted in the same green shade as the vehicle, or have been blacked out. The vehicle gets special blacked-out lamps on the front and the rear bumpers. It also gets two special, heavy-duty hooks at the back and a unique jerry-can holder on the left rear fender. The alloy wheels are also painted in matte-green, like the rest of the body. Tata Motors had previously clarified that the Safari Storme for the armed forces gets an upgraded drivetrain and a significantly modified suspension setup. The standard vehicle comes with a 2.2litre diesel engine, which is good for 154hp and 400Nm of torque.
The army wanted to move away from a GS500 (General Service 500kg) platform – which includes the Gypsy – as the need was for a hardtop vehicle with a heavier payload-carrying capacity.
As mentioned before, Tata Motors has begun deliveries to the Army and Navy, which will take place in a phased manner.