Tatra 8x8 T815 Heavy Duty Vehicle


Czech company Tatra showcased their heavy-duty Tatra 8x8 T815 vehicle at the ongoing 2016 DefExpo in Goa. In India, Tatra Trucks are being assembled by BEML (Bharat Earth Movers Limited), a government-owned company which is also the second largest earth mover manufacturing company in Asia.

Tata 8×8 T815 is a high mobility heavy duty truck which has been designed to transport battle tank, military aircraft, etc. Its military chassis has been hardened to survive the toughest of terrains in the worst of climatic conditions. The truck is functional in temperatures ranging from -32 degrees C to +49 degrees C.


Powering the Tatra 8×8 is a turbo-charged and oil cooled diesel engine which is EURO 3 compliant. It generates 362 hp at 1,800 rpm. Transmission is taken care by a manual gearbox with electronic shift control, which has 14 forward gears and 2 reverse gears. With a kerb weight of 13 tonnes and payload capacity of 25 tonnes, the truck can achieve a top speed of 110 km/h.

Other features on offer include Central Tyre Inflation System on the fly, ground clearance of 425 mm (which can be further raised by 90 mm if needed), HVAC unit, rifle rack in the cabin, swinging half-axles giving an independent suspension, etc.

Apart from Tatra 8x8, BEML also assembles 12x12, 10x10, 6x6, and 4x4 variants in India at their plant in Kerala. Tatra stall at 2016 DefExpo was organized by the Czech team to showcase their products to a global audience.