WATCH: Abu Dhabi's NIMR launches its latest military vehicle


Andrew Scott
  • English
  • Arabic

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.

Read more: Abu Dhabi's Nimr takes vehicle muscle to Europe

“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.

Read more: Nimr wins contract to supply armoured vehicles to UAE Armed Forces

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.

Sole survivors
  • Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
  • George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
  • Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
  • Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
Analysis

Maros Sefcovic is juggling multiple international trade agreement files, but his message was clear when he spoke to The National on Wednesday.

The EU-UAE bilateral trade deal will be finalised soon, he said. It is in everyone’s interests to do so. Both sides want to move quickly and are in alignment. He said the UAE is a very important partner for the EU. It’s full speed ahead - and with some lofty ambitions - on the road to a free trade agreement. 

We also talked about US-EU tariffs. He answered that both sides need to talk more and more often, but he is prepared to defend Europe's position and said diplomacy should be a guiding principle through the current moment. 

 

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Our family matters legal consultant

Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais

Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.

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