Confirmed: These Toyota Fortuners Are Meant For The Indian Army [Video]
Over the last few months, we have been seeing a number of different videos showing a few matte military green Toyota Fortuners with massive foldable satellites on top. Well, now, it has finally been confirmed that these Toyota Fortuners belong to the Indian Army. Recently, a video has been shared online in which these Fortuners, equipped with military communications equipment, were spotted on a road and in a private parking lot.
The video confirming these Fortuners belonging to the Indian Army has been shared on Instagram by Auto Journal India on their page. It starts off with a clip of two of these Toyota Fortuners parked on the side of a road. Now, as for the confirmation of these belonging to the Indian Army, we can note that there is a paper on the windshield which clearly states “On Army Duty.”
In this short clip, the person recording was seen getting closer to the SUV and trying to open the door. However, the complete interior of it was not revealed. Soon after this, another clip shows these SUVs parked in a private parking area. In this clip, we can note the massive foldable antenna on top of this SUV and a black metal ladder on the left side.
As per reports, these Toyota Fortuners belong to the Indian Army's Corps of Signals (the military communications arm). The main duty of this army wing is to facilitate battlefield communications, satellite links, and secure real-time data exchange. As mentioned, these Fortuners have been equipped with roof-mounted satellite communication dishes.
Presently, the interiors of these Fortuners have not been revealed. However, most likely, they will be equipped with sophisticated communication consoles, batteries, radios, and racks. On the outside, these Fortuners have been finished in matte olive green paint and get blacked-out door handles and gunmetal grey-colored alloy wheels.
It can be noted that the Indian Army has opted for the Sigma 4 variant of the Fortuner, which is the one equipped with the 4x4 system. Being a military vehicle, this is a crucial requirement. It is believed that the Diesel Particulate Filter system has also been removed to ensure that the vehicle can be as reliable as possible.
Most likely, no changes or performance upgrades have been added to these Fortuners. The Toyota Fortuner Sigma 4 comes powered by a 2.8-litre, four-cylinder turbo diesel engine. It is capable of producing 204 PS of maximum power and 420 Nm of torque with the manual gearbox and 500 Nm with the automatic transmission.
Prior to these Toyota Fortuners, the Japanese automotive giant also provided the Indian Army with modified Toyota Hilux pickup trucks as well. These vehicles were provided to fulfill the role of Field Diagnosis Vehicle and Rapid Intervention Vehicle. The Toyota Hilux also comes powered by the same 2.8-litre diesel engine as the Fortuner.
Recently, a few images of a different Toyota Fortuner (likely bulletproof) with aftermarket metal rear bumpers and metal metal window cages were shared online. It was also stated that these might belong to the Indian Army. However, it was noted that these images were not taken in India. Where exactly these images were taken has not been clarified.