The IAG Guardian is a United Arab Emirates-made

Infantry mobility vehicle An infantry mobility vehicle (IMV) is a four-wheel drive armored personnel carrier (APC) serving as an armed military transport, military patrol, reconnaissance or security vehicle. Those IMVs are distinct from 8-, 6-, and 4-wheeled APCs (su ...

. It was developed by the International Armored Group company. It is available in 4x4 and 6x6 configurations. This vehicle has been used in the Middle East conflict and has been marked as battle proven to participate in low intensity conflicts.

Design

Guardians are able to withstand projectiles fired from high level ballistic and blast resistance. Equipped with diesel V8 turbo 6.7 L engine that produces 300 HP or engine type 6.8L V10, this machine produces 352 HP power with 5 or 6 speed

automatic transmission An automatic transmission (AT) or automatic gearbox is a multi-speed transmission (mechanics), transmission used in motor vehicles that does not require any input from the driver to change forward gears under normal driving conditions. The 1904 ...

. Guardian can speed up to 120 km per hour on smooth with the range up to 800 km. For the protection aspect, the Guardian is designed with standard ballistic protection up to CEN Level B6 or

STANAG In NATO, a standardization agreement (STANAG, redundantly: STANAG agreement) defines processes, procedures, terms, and conditions for common military or technical procedures or equipment between the member countries of the alliance. Each NATO st ...

level II. But with an add-on armor package, Guardian protection can be upgraded to CEN Level B7 or STANAG level III. Additional protection can be removed to reduce the weight of the vehicle, such as to facilitate maneuvering the vehicle while crossing off-road terrain. In principle, the Guardian provides 360 degree protection to its crew, including the implementation of 3 point door locking to provide extra protection in the face of explosive effects. The Guardian is also able to withstand a 6 kg

TNT Troponin T (shortened TnT or TropT) is a part of the troponin complex, which are proteins integral to the contraction of skeletal and heart muscles. They are expressed in skeletal and cardiac myocytes. Troponin T binds to tropomyosin and helps ...

effect that explodes under the vehicle.

Variants

;Guardian 4x4: Basic variant for low intensity conflict in two axle configuration. Can carry a total of 10 personnel, including driver/commander. ;Guardian 4x4 Xtreme: An upgraded variant with add-on armor and cage armor to increase the protection level. The level of protection increased to STANAG Level III. ;Guardian 6x6: New configuration with better protection in three axle configuration. Can carry a total of 12 personnel, including driver/commander.

Combat history

The IAG Guardian was used by Kurdish Military Forces in Iraq and the

Syrian Democratic Forces The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) is a Kurds in Syria, Kurdish-led coalition of U.S.-backed Left-wing politics, left-wing ethnic militias and rebel groups, and serves as the official military wing of the Democratic Autonomous Administration ...

in Syria, it showed combat capabilities by protecting soldiers in operations. The IAG Guardian is also operated by the

Malaysian Armed Forces The Malaysian Armed Forces (: MAF; ; Jawi alphabet, Jawi: ), are the armed forces of Malaysia, consists of three branches; the Malaysian Army, Royal Malaysian Navy and the Royal Malaysian Air Force. The number of MAF active personnel is 113,000 ...

for its peacekeeping mission in

Lebanon Lebanon, officially the Republic of Lebanon, is a country in the Levant region of West Asia. Situated at the crossroads of the Mediterranean Basin and the Arabian Peninsula, it is bordered by Syria to the north and east, Israel to the south ...

under the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is the Earth, global intergovernmental organization established by the signing of the Charter of the United Nations, UN Charter on 26 June 1945 with the stated purpose of maintaining international peace and internationa ...

(UN) flag.

Operators

* : In

police service The police are a constituted body of people empowered by a state with the aim of enforcing the law and protecting the public order as well as the public itself. This commonly includes ensuring the safety, health, and possessions of citizens ...

. * : An initial batch of 4 Guardian Xtreme MRAPs was delivered in December 2021 for the Bulgarian Special Forces. Likely more were delivered in 2022. They were built locally at the SAMARM 90 factory. * : In

Chilean Gendarmerie The Chilean Gendarmerie (), (abbreviated to ''GENCHI'') is the title of Chile's uniformed national prison service military. The service evolved when Chilean Army units were given police and prison duties under president Carlos Ibáñez del Campo ...

. * : In

. * : In Public Security Service. * : 12 Guardian 4x4 Xtreme in service with

Malaysian Army The Malaysian Army (; Jawi alphabet, Jawi: ) is the land component of the Malaysian Armed Forces. Steeped in British Army traditions, the Malaysian Army does not carry the title ‘royal’ () as do the Royal Malaysian Navy and the Royal Malaysi ...

United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (; ), or UNIFIL (; ) is a United Nations peacekeeping mission established on 19 March 1978 by United Nations Security Council Resolutions United Nations Security Council Resolution 425, 425 and Unit ...

, 4 ordered by

Royal Malaysia Police The Royal Malaysia Police (often abbreviated RMP) (; Jawi script, Jawi: ), is a (primarily) uniformed national and federal police force in Malaysia. The force is a centralised organisation, and its headquarters are located at Bukit Aman, Kuala ...

. * : The Nigerien Army received IAG Guardians courtesy of

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

assistance. * : In

Non-state actors

. *

Peshmerga The Peshmerga () are the internal security forces of Kurdistan Region. According to the Constitution of Iraq, regional governments are responsible for "the establishment and organization of the internal security forces for the region such as p ...

, Also locally Produced By

INKAS INKAS Group of Companies is a group of privately held Canada, Canadian corporations that specialize largely in the security, manufacturing, and Financial services, financial industries. Many of the company’s divisions and brands operate under ...

References

{{commons category, IAG Guardian Military vehicles of the United Arab Emirates