Ashok Leyland Super Stallion

     Notes: This is the flagship line of Ashok Leyland’s heavy truck line.  It was developed as a private venture in 2012; the Indian Army quickly showed interest in the Super Stallion, which is so far the only sale of any significant number.  The Indian order was for over 40,000 vehicles. The Indian has a lot of uses for the Super Stallion, including general transport, troop transport, artillery tractor, or specialized equipment/command post carrier (with hard sides).A crane is mounted between the rear area and cab with a capacity of 7.4 tons for loading and unloading heavy gear.  Smaller sales were made to Saudi Arabia, China, Togo and Zimbabwe, including the Panhard TC54 variant.

     The cab of the Super Stallion is all-steel with steel sideboards topped by wooden slats, and the whole rear end may be covered with bows and canvas.  The cab has two bench seats with three places.  Behind the seat is an open area which has enough room for a single cot as well as the crewmembers’ personal gear, rations, a ration/water heater, and a chilled water tank carrying 30 liters of water.  Over the commander’s seat is an observation hatch, but the roof of the cab is not strong enough to mount a weapon.

     The chassis is 8x8, with steering on the front four axles. Several drive train, transmission, and controls are available according to customer wishes; I will do the stats for an automatic transmission with 7 forward and two reverse gears, as well as power steering and brakes. The Super Stallion is powered by a Neptune 360-horsepower turbocharged diesel.  There is a central tire inflation system, as well as ruin flat and puncture resistant tires. The central tire inflation system works automatically, in accordance with terrain traversed.  The Super Stallion has a 12-ton winch with 150 meters of cable in the front bumper.

The Indian Standard – The Stallion Mk3/4

     The Mk 3 Stallion is a variant for use by the Indian Army, primarily when there are roads or hard-packed trails. It is powered by  W06DTI Turbo/Supercharged Diesel developing t77 horsepower.  It is a 4x4 variant, though it has the same drive train, suspension, controls, and transmission as the above vehicle. Being a much smaller version, it is not capable of carrying the load of a Super Stallion.  The cab is extended and has room for the above cab accoutrements, as well as rooms for two cots.  Most other details are as the Super Stallion 8x8 above, though it is also used as a tanker truck and light recovery vehicle.  It is also used in a 6x6 configuration, larger than the Mk 3, called the Mk 4.  It is commensurately larger than the 4x4 and has higher loading, though it has the same features as the Super Stallion above as well as the Stallion Mk 3.  The Mk 4 is also equipped with a 260-horsepower engine.

The Panhard TC54 – The French Copy for Export Sales

     Designed specifically for Saudi Arabia and China, the TC54 was licensed to France by the Indians, as they could not produce enough vehicles for export while retaining the promised amounts of vehicles to the Indian Military. This version is also used by Togo and Zimbabwe.  The Saudis and Chinese normally use them as artillery tractors.  It is a 4x4 truck with most of the same features of the Super Stallion above.  They entered service in 2011, and other countries a bit later.  The TC54 is powered by a Steyr turbocharged diesel engine, developing 215 horsepower, and has a Czech manual transmission with conventional driver controls.  A variant of the TC54 has a slightly armored cab, though the rest of the vehicle is not so protected. The TC54 has an MRAP design.  Atop the cab is an RWS, normally using a light or medium machinegun.