New WhAP Wheeled Amphibious Platform 8x8 armoured at DefExpo 2018.

One of the highlight at the live demonstration of DefExpo 2018 is the new 8x8 amphibious combat vehicle called WhAP (Wheeled Amphibious Platform) developed jointly by the DRDO's Vehicle Research and Development Establishment and the Indian Company TATA Motors. The Whap is fitted with a two-man BMP-2 turret, a Soviet-made Infantry Fighting Vehicle.

The new WhAP Wheeled Amphibious Platform at DefExpo 2018 live demonstration, April 11, 2018. (Picture source Army Recognition)

Tata Motors is the first private sector OEM in India which has developed WhAP (Wheeled Armored Amphibious Platform), an Infantry Combat Vehicle, designed for optimized survivability, all-terrain performance and increased lethality jointly with the Indian Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO).

In recent years, Tata Motors has made a strategic shift from the Logistic vehicles space to the Combat vehicle space by focusing on development of contemporary state-of-the-art combat vehicle platforms (Tracked & Wheeled); with the dual purpose of empowering India’s Defence Forces with breakthrough technologies and increasing the nation’s self-reliance in this critical area. The idea is to ensure high mobility, fire power and protection to the forces for their various missions by developing world-class armored fighting vehicles.

The WhAP with its BMP-2 turret offers a new generation of combat vehicle offering high level of protection, mobilty based on a 8x8 chassis and fire power with the turret armed with a stabilized 30 mm cannon 2A42 and a 7.62 mm PKT coaxial machine gun mounted to the left of the main armament with 2,000 rounds. Mounted on the turret roof between the gunner's and commander's hatches is a launcher for an AT-4 SPIGOT or AT-5 SPANDREL ATGM (Anti-Tank Guided Missile) which has a maximum range of 4,000m.

The WhAP has a weight of around 25 tons and is powered by a 600 hp. diesel engine. It can reach a maximum road speed of 100 km/h. For amphibious operations, the WhAP is propelled in the water at a maximum speed of 10 km/h thanks to two hydrojets mounted at the rear of the vehicle.