Tata Advanced Systems Ltd. (TASL) plans to introduce its first significant defence manufacturing facility outside India. In Casablanca, Morocco, a new plant will be set up mainly to produce Wheeled Armored Platforms (WhAPs) for the Royal Moroccan Armed Forces and later expand into the African market.
The WhAP is an amphibious infantry combat vehicle designed to travel over almost any terrain. The Indian Army has already deployed it limitedly, notably along the Ladakh border. The Casablanca facility is expected to produce up to 100 combat vehicles a year. It will likely be operational within a year, with the first few units expected to roll off the production lines within 18 months.
Sukaran Singh, the CEO and Managing Director of TASL, said that this venture will be crucially strategic: “This would not only enable TASL to help initiate the defence ecosystem of Morocco but also serve as a launch point for our expansion into Africa for selected defence systems.” He thanked the Moroccan government for the support received for this landmark agreement.
The WhAP was developed in cooperation with the Defence Research and Development Organisation and tested extensively in various desert conditions in Africa before Morocco finalised and chose it. Though the actual value of the contract has not been unveiled, this is a significant milestone for Indian companies in the international defence sector. India will have the first greenfield defence plant set up outside India.
This is an excellent step by India’s defence export strategy, given that the African market will grow exponentially in the short term. This facility is expected to generate about 350 jobs, and significant work is also being done here in India. This development marks Tata’s entry into the competitive African defence market, hitherto dominated by Russian and European suppliers, and reflects the growing interest of Indian companies in this region.
India has actively promoted its defence exports to Africa through bilateral visits, and presentations focused on strengthening partnerships in the area.
