Non-military armored vehicles
Encyclopedia
Non-military armored vehicles are armored
vehicles used outside of professional armed forces
. While primarily invented and used for defense from an equally well armed organized force, armor technology has found a number of other uses outside of this military
context.
states employ a standing internal security
force, akin to a military force, but separate from the official army. As such, these official forces are often equipped with the same armored cars, although often fitted with less lethal armaments, such as water cannon
.
In countries that employ a territorial reserve force, only mobilized in times of war for civil defense, these forces may also be equipped with armored cars. As the main heavy armaments may be out of the country or with the main army, the civil defense force may only have these military specification armored cars as their best defense.
In North America, the Armoured Rescue Vehicle is the term for non-military armoured vehicles used by SWAT
teams. They offer some ballistic protection, but without high powered armaments.
South African defence company Paramount Group
manufactures the Maverick internal security vehicle
, which is designed specifically to assist the delivery and operation of effective internal security forces in hostile environments around the world. The Maverick’s large size provides space for a crew, kit and various types of military equipment including anti riot gear, surveillance equipment, water cannons, ramps for SWAT Teams, and bomb disposal robots
. The vehicle can also be fitted with an external fire extinguishing system and small and medium calibre turrets can be mounted on its roof.
.
. Other forces in specific trouble spots, such as apartheid South Africa, or Northern Ireland at the height of The Troubles
, may routinely patrol in armored vehicles.
In Israel
, the Emergency medical services
also have armored ambulances for the protection of patients and crew.
s, as protection against attempts to break the prisoners out of custody.
es may also be fitted with armor. These can also be used by the regular military, but are still serving their main purpose of transporting people.
, in order to provide a defence against robbery
.
s such as businessmen, politicians and diplomats may choose to be transported, or provided with an armored passenger car, as a protection against kidnap or assassination.
study, a vehicle has been specially modified to be able to drive into the heart of tornados to take measurements while protecting the occupants from debris.
Armoured warfare
Armoured warfare or tank warfare is the use of armoured fighting vehicles in modern warfare. It is a major component of modern methods of war....
vehicles used outside of professional armed forces
Armed forces
The armed forces of a country are its government-sponsored defense, fighting forces, and organizations. They exist to further the foreign and domestic policies of their governing body, and to defend that body and the nation it represents from external aggressors. In some countries paramilitary...
. While primarily invented and used for defense from an equally well armed organized force, armor technology has found a number of other uses outside of this military
Military
A military is an organization authorized by its greater society to use lethal force, usually including use of weapons, in defending its country by combating actual or perceived threats. The military may have additional functions of use to its greater society, such as advancing a political agenda e.g...
context.
Internal security forces
Several sovereignSovereign
A sovereign is the supreme lawmaking authority within its jurisdiction.Sovereign may also refer to:*Monarch, the sovereign of a monarchy*Sovereign Bank, banking institution in the United States*Sovereign...
states employ a standing internal security
Internal security
Internal security, or IS, is the act of keeping peace within the borders of a sovereign state or other self-governing territories. generally by upholding the national law and defending against internal security threats...
force, akin to a military force, but separate from the official army. As such, these official forces are often equipped with the same armored cars, although often fitted with less lethal armaments, such as water cannon
Water cannon
A water cannon is a device that shoots a high-pressure stream of water. Typically, a water cannon can deliver a large volume of water, often over dozens of metres / hundreds of feet. They are used in firefighting and riot control. Most water cannon fall under the category of a fire...
.
In countries that employ a territorial reserve force, only mobilized in times of war for civil defense, these forces may also be equipped with armored cars. As the main heavy armaments may be out of the country or with the main army, the civil defense force may only have these military specification armored cars as their best defense.
In North America, the Armoured Rescue Vehicle is the term for non-military armoured vehicles used by SWAT
SWAT
A SWAT team is an elite tactical unit in various national law enforcement departments. They are trained to perform high-risk operations that fall outside of the abilities of regular officers...
teams. They offer some ballistic protection, but without high powered armaments.
South African defence company Paramount Group
Paramount Group
The Paramount Group is a group of internationally based companies offering programs and manufacturing products with a focus on defense, internal security and correctional services. The Executive Chairman of the Group is Ivor Ichikowitz, a South African industrialist of Lithuanian...
manufactures the Maverick internal security vehicle
Maverick (Internal Security Vehicle)
The Maverick is an internal security vehicle that was designed and developed by the Paramount Group in South Africa.It was launched in 2008 during the Africa Aerospace and Defence Exhibition , which took place at the Ysterplaat Air Force Base in Cape Town, South Africa.-Vehicle specifics:The...
, which is designed specifically to assist the delivery and operation of effective internal security forces in hostile environments around the world. The Maverick’s large size provides space for a crew, kit and various types of military equipment including anti riot gear, surveillance equipment, water cannons, ramps for SWAT Teams, and bomb disposal robots
Bomb disposal
Bomb disposal is the process by which hazardous explosive devices are rendered safe. Bomb disposal is an all encompassing term to describe the separate, but interrelated functions in the following fields:*Military:...
. The vehicle can also be fitted with an external fire extinguishing system and small and medium calibre turrets can be mounted on its roof.
Rebel forces
In times of civil war or rebellion, factions or opposition groups without sufficient access to military armor, may convert civilian vehicles into fighting vehicles, adding improvised vehicle armorImprovised vehicle armour
Improvised vehicle armour is vehicle armour added in the field that was not originally part of the design or centrally planned.Improvised vehicle armour has appeared on the battlefield for as long as there have been armoured vehicles in existence. In World War II, U.S. tank crews welded spare...
.
Emergency services
Several domestic police forces possess armored vehicles. These may exist as part of specific response units, such as SWATSWAT
A SWAT team is an elite tactical unit in various national law enforcement departments. They are trained to perform high-risk operations that fall outside of the abilities of regular officers...
. Other forces in specific trouble spots, such as apartheid South Africa, or Northern Ireland at the height of The Troubles
The Troubles
The Troubles was a period of ethno-political conflict in Northern Ireland which spilled over at various times into England, the Republic of Ireland, and mainland Europe. The duration of the Troubles is conventionally dated from the late 1960s and considered by many to have ended with the Belfast...
, may routinely patrol in armored vehicles.
In Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
, the Emergency medical services
Emergency medical services
Emergency medical services are a type of emergency service dedicated to providing out-of-hospital acute medical care and/or transport to definitive care, to patients with illnesses and injuries which the patient, or the medical practitioner, believes constitutes a medical emergency...
also have armored ambulances for the protection of patients and crew.
Prisoner transport
Lightly armored vans and buses may also be used as Prisoner transport vehiclePrisoner transport vehicle
A prisoner transport vehicle is a specially designed or retrofitted vehicle, usually a van or bus, used to transport prisoners from one secure area, such as a prison or courthouse, to another. Less commonly, aircraft may also be similarly fitted...
s, as protection against attempts to break the prisoners out of custody.
Buses
In some cases, busBus
A bus is a road vehicle designed to carry passengers. Buses can have a capacity as high as 300 passengers. The most common type of bus is the single-decker bus, with larger loads carried by double-decker buses and articulated buses, and smaller loads carried by midibuses and minibuses; coaches are...
es may also be fitted with armor. These can also be used by the regular military, but are still serving their main purpose of transporting people.
Valuables
Armored cars often find use in transporting valuable commodities, usually currencyCurrency
In economics, currency refers to a generally accepted medium of exchange. These are usually the coins and banknotes of a particular government, which comprise the physical aspects of a nation's money supply...
, in order to provide a defence against robbery
Robbery
Robbery is the crime of taking or attempting to take something of value by force or threat of force or by putting the victim in fear. At common law, robbery is defined as taking the property of another, with the intent to permanently deprive the person of that property, by means of force or fear....
.
VIP transport
Several VIPVIP
VIP and V.I.P. is a three-letter acronym that may refer to:-In general:* Vacuum insulated panel* Values, Influence, and Peers, an anti-crime campaign in Ontario elementary schools* Variable Information Printing, a form of on-demand printing...
s such as businessmen, politicians and diplomats may choose to be transported, or provided with an armored passenger car, as a protection against kidnap or assassination.
Tornado chasing
In the field of tornadoTornado
A tornado is a violent, dangerous, rotating column of air that is in contact with both the surface of the earth and a cumulonimbus cloud or, in rare cases, the base of a cumulus cloud. They are often referred to as a twister or a cyclone, although the word cyclone is used in meteorology in a wider...
study, a vehicle has been specially modified to be able to drive into the heart of tornados to take measurements while protecting the occupants from debris.