NIMR automotive, the armoured car manufacturer based in the capital, unveiled its newest piece of military hardware last week – the Rapid Intervention Vehicle, or RIV.
The new vehicle is expected to catch the eye among Europe’s military top brass as NIMR has been courting the Czech Republic, Polish and Romanian military hoping the flirtation will become a fully fledged ‘thing’. However, the addition of the RIV to its stable is not seen as a make-or-break, but as another string to its bow. Its customer roster is firmly based in the GCC but that regional dependence is not expected to last.
"We will be announcing a European buyer soon," said Fahad Harhara, chief executive of NIMR Automotive.
He said the current production schedule saw four vehicles per day from one production line with the capacity to produce 15 vehicles daily should they move to three production lines.
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“For the next two years our order book is full, however as the 5th largest Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) in the world we are expecting to hear good news soon. Our vehicles are performing in active operational theatres that offer invaluable research and development. We understand the harsh environment of our region and we are now ‘winterising’ the stable so that they are equally resilient in temperatures in the blue as well as the red.”
From a layman’s point-of-view the RIV looks like a stripped and ripped street-fighter with a low, wide stance and not-so-hidden muscle. The new kid on the block has been specifically designed for special operations units in the harshest of terrains. This has the ability to carry rapid response units out of inhospitable arenas with all the speed and fire power one may need.
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Not only can the RIV fit inside a Chinook 47, its bodywork and chassis has been pared to the bone allowing the Chinook 47 to fit two inside its fuselage. Designed to travel off-road and therefore not under the threat of Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) the RIV can be modified to the terrain and theatre it has been deployed.