Vehicle Armoring

Civilian Armored Vehicles

These vehicles start as your typical luxury car, limousine, or SUV. In the beginning they are nothing more than a factory passenger vehicle. until they undergo a transformation involving a variety of specialized protective components, materials, and modifications designed to safeguard the occupants from the threat of firearms and explosives. While large SUVs such as the Chevrolet Tahoe and Suburban, GMC Yukon and Yukon Denali, and Cadillac Escalade and Escalade ESV (all essentially the same vehicle) are the most common due to their sheer size, horse-power, and torque, any vehicle can be retrofitted for protection.

The Heart of Protection

The core components of an armored vehicle are its ballistic glass – often referred to as “bulletproof glass”, ballistic steel (armor plating) and/or advanced composite materials, and run-flat tires. In addition, an abundance of modifications and advanced equipment are available to ensure the vehicle can adhere to the threat level required to protect its occupants and within its intended operating environment. Some of the available modifications and advanced equipment can include engine enhancements such as ECU chips, superchargers, turbo systems, and NOS (Nitrous Oxide) injection; ram bumpers (visible and invisible), puncture and explosion proof fuel tanks, and bomb blankets. Defensive systems such as tire-spike, teargas, and oil-slick deployment, fire suppression, sealed air purification, PA and communication, GPS, and much more are not exclusive to James Bond any longer. Modifications to an armored vehicle breaking and shock absorption systems are often necessary to compensate for the overall increase in gross weight and horsepower.

A Key Part of your Security Plan

Armored vehicles such as these are rarely operated by the vehicle’s owner, but rather by private security personnel. Often referred to as “Bodyguards”, these highly skilled men and women have additional specialized tactical driving training in order to effectively control the enhanced weight of these armored vehicles, while at all times maintaining the occupants overall safety.