Indian auto giant Tata Motors said today said it has tied up with DRB-Hicom Bhd to supply trucks to Malaysia's armed forces, the Press Trust of India (PTI) reported from New Delhi.

"Tata Motors and DRB-Hicom Defence Technologies Sdn Bhd (Deftech), a wholly-owned subsidiary of DRB-Hicom Bhd, Malaysia, have signed a cooperation agreement," Tata Motors said in a statement.

According to the agreement, both firms will together develop, promote and market the "Tata Motors high mobility 4x4 trucks with payloads ranging from 2.5 tonnes to 5.0 onnes" to the Malaysian armed forces, it added.

Initially, Deftech will work on two Tata Motors models - LPTA 715 and LPTA 1623, PTI reported.

"These vehicles are suitable in various configurations, including troop carriers, command post, ambulance, reconnaissance missions as an armoured carrier communication shelter and others," the news agency quoted Tata Motors as saying in the statement.

Since 1958, Tata Motors has supplied over 100,000 vehicles to the Indian military and paramilitary forces.

It has also exported its range of specialised defence vehicles to the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC), an organisation of South Asian nations, Asean and African countries.

- Bernama