Kalyani M4 was recently spotted when the Indian army was testing it in Ladakh. Kalyani has developed M4 by partnering with the South African firm Paramount. Kalyani M4 is a derivative of Paramount’s Mbombe M4. Kalyani first revealed M4 at Defense Expo 2020.
Overview
The Kalyani M4 is designed as Armoured Personnel Carrier (APC) in which performance and crew protection are the top priority. The maximum payload capacity of Kalyani M4 is 2.3 tons which means it can carry 8 fully equipped soldiers. M4 is a massive 16-ton beast that has an impressive 43-degree angle of approach and a 44-degree angle of descent which enables it to handle challenging terrain with grace.
Armour
The monocoque hull of Kalyani M4 acts like an armoured shell with everything installed inside of it. The hardened glass viewports can even withstand sniper and anti-materiel rifle fire.
Kalyani M4 is rated at STANAG Level 3 for the engine compartment and similar ballistic protection for the crew compartment, which means its armour can resist penetration from 7.62×51mm armour piercing rounds at 30 meters with 930 m/s and an 8 kg anti-tank mine. The entire body is rated at STANAG Level 4a and 4b, which means it can withstand a 50kg blast of TNT from the sides along with fire from a 14.5×114mm machine gun with armor-piercing rounds at 200 meters and 10 kg anti-tank mine-type explosive mass. It also has a V-shaped hull that protects it from underbelly mine and IED blast.
Engine and transmission
The Kalyani M4 is powered by a turbocharged six-cylinder diesel engine that produces 465 horsepower (347 kW) and 1627 Nm torque. if inducted it would be one of the most powerful vehicles of its category. Kalyani M4 has a top speed is 140 kilometers per hour, with a maximum range of 800 km.M4 is equipped with a CVT gearbox (automatic transmission) taken from the automotive industry. Using automotive components makes it very easy to maintain and cuts down the cost of spare parts.
Brakes and Crew comfort
The Kalyani m4 is equipped with disk brakes on all the wheels which also comes with Anti-lock Braking System. ABS prevents locking of wheels in case of sudden braking. All modern cars are equipped with ABS nowadays.
The Kalyani M4 rides on four 16–00 R20 tires which provide it high-performance off-road. The tires are also reinforced with run-flat inserts that can maintain tire shape and a certain degree of handling response even if they’re shot or punctured. The tyre pressure is maintained using a central tire pressure inflation system that pumps air when the vehicle is fully loaded and releases it on off-road stretches to improve braking, handling, and stability. It is equipped powerful, 16kW air-conditioning system with HEPA filters which ensures crew comfort and also protects the crew from biological and chemical attacks.
Kalyani has included a significant amount of indigenous components in the M4. It can safely and reliably transport troops to the hot zones. APCs like M4 is very much required in the Indian Army. It will also be a big boost to Atmanirbhar Bharat and Make In India. Kalyani M4 has also tremendous export potential.
Though Kalyani has partnered with South African firm Paramount company to build Kalyani M4 Armoured Vehicle but still as we are seeing Kalyani’s logo in the front of KalyaniM4 vahicle it seems clear that Kalyani M4 Armoured vehicle is a fully indigenous vehicle having a very small participation of South African firm Paramount M4 in building Kalyani M4 armoured vehicle , so we can definitely suggest that Kalyani M4 armoured vehicle is a fully 100% indigenous armoured vehicle completely built under #MakeInIndia initiative .