India’s Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) reported that the DACA War Trucks has proposed its Dawon 4×4 all-terrain vehicle to the Indian Army. The Indian Army has initiated several vehicle procurement programmes, and DACA has offered Dawon for the service’s all-terrain vehicle procurement programmes. “Official user trials of Dawon have already been conducted along the Line of Control (LoC) in [the] Jammu and Kashmir region by the Indian Army, and trials are now being planned in [the] Ladakh region,” the company’s co-founder Yash Srivastava told British defense media outlet Janes in mid-December.
Dawon is a general-purpose utility (GPU) all-terrain vehicle. The vehicle features a 4,400 cc Caterpillar diesel engine pushing out 200 bhp and 800 Nm of torque, an Allison automatic transmission, and Dana’s?differential unit. The vehicle is equipped with four-bar link coil spring suspensions with an 18 inch vertical wheel travel, as well as disc brakes with electronic brakeforce distribution (EBD) and an anti-lock braking system (ABS). Dawon can be used for recce, anti-tank mobile teams (ATMTs), para operations, and vehicle-mounted mortar applications. It has the capability of bolt-on armour and can be armoured upto STANAG level II.
The Indian Army plans to procure all-terrain vehicles in various configurations to undertake combat operations in medium- and high-altitude areas. Indian defence vehicle manufacturer DACA War Trucks’s unique chassis and suspension offers extraordinary X-country mobility to Dawon. Dawon 4×4 All-Terrain Vehicle is being projected for various requirements of Indian Army, including LAMV (Light Armoured Multipurpose Vehicle), ATV (All-terrain Vehicle) and RTV (Rough Terrain Vehicle). Desert trials ofDawon were carried out in Nov 2022 by Indian Army in forward areas ahead of Jaisalmer, and Mahajan Field Firing Range.
