Shaktiman trucks are the most widely used medium-capacity trucks of the Indian Armed Forces. They were manufactured between 1959 and 1996 by the Vehicle Factory, Jabalpur, (VFJ) of the Indian Ordnance Factories Organisation.
Over 75000 units were produced over its lifetime, of which about 7000 remained in active service as of 2009. They are now being replaced in the Indian Army by the Stallion Mk IV trucks.
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The Shaktiman has a conventional truck design based on the MAN 415 L1 AR truck. One difference is that the Shaktiman has dual rear wheels. Over time, the design was customized and evolved by VFJ with the major focus being indigenisation, as well as to update it.[1] In the last few decades of its production, the trucks were being built entirely with components supplied by Indian vendors.
Over time, a 4x4 drivetrain was added. The 4000 kg 4x4 version is the most common version in active service. Other versions included ones with deeper chassis frames, heavy-duty suspension and larger tyres for a gross weightage of 8350 kg and 11,000 kg.
The first Shaktiman truck rolled off the assembly line in June 1959. The first trucks were assembled using components procured from MAN SE.
The final significant order for the trucks was received in 1993 from the Indian Army for 3000 trucks. This order was fulfilled by 1996. The infrastructure for the truck production was preserved for a few more years as a backup contingency option and in the unlikely event of more orders. The production line of Shaktiman was dismantled in 2003.
In total, over 75000 units of the truck in various configurations were produced for the Indian Armed Forces by VFJ over its lifetime.
The Shaktiman chassis was adapted into a wide range of variants, including:[1]