JSW Group forays into defence sector, to showcase ATOR N1200 specialist mobility vehicle at Republic Day Parade

JSW Group, a leading conglomerate, announced on Thursday that it has entered the defence industry by acquiring a majority investment in Gecko Motors Pvt Ltd, which manufactures extreme off-road vehicles. Its subsidiary, JSW Defence and Aerospace, has acquired an interest in the company, which has been renamed JSW Gecko Motors Pvt Ltd (JSW Gecko).

According to a release, JSW Gecko, pushed by its founders led by Jaskirat Singh Nagra, has bagged an order worth Rs 250 crore from the defence ministry for the manufacturing and supply of 96 Specialist Mobility Vehicles branded as ATOR N1200.

As per the official release, the vehicles are being manufactured at JSW Gecko's newly established production facility in Chandigarh, Punjab, and will be delivered to the Armed Forces by June 2024.

According to the statement, the JSW ATOR N1200 will be showcased at the Republic Day parade on Friday.

Copato Ltd of the United Kingdom, has designed the ATOR N1200, an indigenous version of the SHERP N1200 amphibious extreme mobility vehicle.

Copato has entered into a joint venture with JSW Defence and JSW Gecko, as well as a technology supply licence agreement, to produce Specialist Mobility Vehicles in India.

Talking about the development, JSW Gecko CEO Viktoria Tverdokhleb said, "We are pleased to have the opportunity to present to the Indian market, and especially to the defence sector an unique, innovative and technologically advanced Specialist Mobility Vehicles that has no analogues in the world in terms of its capabilities and characteristics and has no competitors in the off-road ability and manoeuvrability."