Team Herald
PANJIM: Tata Motors on Wednesday signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Maharashtra Ex-Servicemen Corporation Ltd (MESCO), for creation of employment opportunities for ex-service men of Indian Army, in response to Tata Motors solution for the Indian Ministry of Defences’ (MoD) prestigious $10 billion combat vehicle programme.
As one of the indigenization partners for the development of Tata Motors FICV (Future Infantry Combat Vehicle), the MoU was signed at the ongoing Defexpo 2016 in Goa, in the presence of Mr Guenter Butschek, CEO & Managing Director, Tata Motors, Mr Ravi Pisharody, Executive Director, Tata Motors, Mr Vernon Noronha, Vice President Defence and Government Business, Tata Motors, Mr Vijay Shet, General Manager (Collaborations & Imports), Tata Motors and (Retd.) Col Suhas Jatkar, Managing Director, Maharashtra Ex-Servicemen Corporation Ltd.
Commenting on the partnership, Mr Ravi Pisharody, Executive Director, Commercial Vehicles, Tata Motors Ltd. said, “Defence particularly needs partners with long-term commitments, to see products and solutions through multiple generations of evolution and we at Tata Motors are proud to have joined hands with MESCO and the Indian army’s ex-servicemen, for India’s first indigenously developed combat vehicle. Through this partnership, we will be even better positioned to involve the Small & Medium Scale Enterprises in defence equipment manufacturing and at the same time cater to the opportunities available right here in India.”
Commenting on the occasion, Vernon Noronha, Vice President Defence and Government Business, Tata Motors said, “We are pleased to collaborate with MESCO for the Indian MoD’s FICV Programme. Through this collaboration, we hope to utilize the experience and further develop the expertise of our nations ex-servicemen, to develop and produce components for the Indian MoD’s FICV program. Aimed at creating skilled professionals in the defence space and in-line with the government’s ‘Make in India’ initiative, the collaboration is expected to create domain specific job opportunities for ex-servicemen of the Indian army.”
MESCO a Government of Maharashtra undertaking, of the Mahasainik Industrial Estate (MSIE) is India’s first unique Ex-servicemen Industrial Estate set-up in Pune in 2002, for the establishment and resettlement of ex-servicemen, with the moto of ‘Service with Discipline’. MESCO’s objective is to provide reasonable employment to ex-servicemen of the state nearest to their homes, within their district by undertaking various commercial activities. Having bagged over 270 contracts, MESCO operates in thirty-four districts and employs over 11000 Ex-servicemen.
To be developed under the ‘Make Category’, the FICV is a high mobility armoured battle vehicle, for infantry men to keep pace with new advancements in weaponry system. The FICV needs to be compact, tracked and amphibious, no heavier than 18-20 tonnes, so that it can be air-portable and transportable by other means, onto combat zones. The vehicle must fire anti-tank guided missiles, to ranges beyond four kilometers, with a capability to carry a crew of three and eight combat-kitted infantrymen. The FICV will replace the Indian Army’s fleet of 2610 Russian-designed BMP (Sarath BMP-II) series armed vehicles, that are in operation since 1980.
