Navigating SA’s bullet-riddled mean streets in an armoured car
Defensive driving and Kevlar offer protection but, in an increasingly violent world, people with a high public profile, or those transporting valuables, put lives and cargo in the hands of armoured vehicle manufacturers. By
It’s 3.30pm and I’m lying prone, cradling an R1 assault rifle, about to take a shot at a target 20m away. I’m aiming not at a bull’s eye target, but at a bitsy metal disc welded to a metal plate. The ballistic power snaps the disc clean off the plate.
My next shot is trickier, taken from a standing position. Braced against my shoulder, an AK47 is aimed at a 50x50cm square of glass, 38mm thick and layered with polycarbonate. The bullet travels a few millimetres through the glass, loses momentum and falls to the floor.
That bullet might have been aimed at a person’s head: a cash-in-transit driver, a soldier, a security guard, a hijacking victim.
It’s chilling, but it feels badass putting armoured vehicle components to the test.
I’m in a testing facility for Special Vehicle Industries (SVI) Engineering in Bashewa, north of Tshwane, where the armoured vehicle manufacturer showcases capabilities to clients, with products ranging from civilian luxury cars and cash vans to MAX personnel carriers to fight violent crime, terrorism and regional conflict.
2,500 armoured civilian vehicles
Since opening in 2004, SVI has delivered more than 2,500 armoured civilian vehicles to the market, for use by executives, farmers, diplomats and others.
SVI offers original equipment manufacturer (OEM)-approved armour on Ford’s Ranger bakkies and is in talks with a German luxury vehicle brand to armour its sedans.
In 2021, Ford SA said: “With more than 18,000 vehicle hijackings recorded annually in South Africa, according to SAPS crime statistics for 2019/20, it makes sense to add another layer of safety for Ford customers in the form of ballistic protection.”
Ford Africa president Neale Hill said: “While we all wish there was no need for armoured civilian vehicles anywhere in the world, being able to provide outstanding levels of safety for customers is deeply rooted in Ford’s DNA, with armoured protection being no exception.
“Ford is leading the way in customer experience by offering this without affecting the Ranger’s full warranty and service plan, a first for any OEM in South Africa.”
Hijacking figures more than double
Stats SA’s latest Victims of Crime Survey shows that about 137,000 people were hijacked in 2021/2022, up from 64,000 the year before. But only 63% of highjacking victims report the incidents to the police.
SVI believes armouring should be thought of as background technology, an extra layer of security alongside other safety systems such as ABS, airbags and crumple zones.
The company offers B4 protection level (against handguns up to a .44 Magnum), which consists of 18-21mm armoured glass in combination with Kevlar sheets for the body, and B6, the highest level of civilian protection allowed without a special permit.
On a Ranger double cab, B4 adds an extra 280kg. It takes eight weeks to install and is discreet, with a small SVI window sticker.
B6 protection is for the valuables-intransit industry and high-profile people. The B6, for R1 assault rifle and AK47 rounds, comprises 38mm armoured glass and special armoured steel plates. It adds 650kg to the vehicle mass and requires an upgrade to the Ranger’s suspension. You wouldn’t want to slam a finger in one of these doors.
Only in the movies do bullets bounce off windscreens or get lodged in bodywork, says SVI founder and CEO Jaco de Kock.
De Kock is the creator behind the 10-tonne military monster truck the “Marauder”, featured on Top Gear by Richard Hammond.
B6 comes in discreet and non-discreet options. The former takes 12 weeks to build, the “Stopgun” option just two weeks. Prices range from R234,000 to R700,000.
In the MAX range, earmarked for the military and, increasingly, mines, there’s the eight-seater, 7.5-tonne MAX 9 personnel carrier, “for the ultimate show of force”, and a MAX 3 Troopy, both of which offer a minimum B6 (for assault rifles), with extra protection against anti-personnel grenades.
The Troopy has military and security applications, including weapon systems, cargo-carrying and field ambulance fittings. It proved to be quite the trooper during our off-road 4×4 test, through ditches, over hillocks and traversing boulders.
Armouring
Armoured vehicles should provide enough of a shield for the driver to escape a “situation” unscathed, De Kock explains.
This means the windows need enough resistance, and the body, including the A, B and C pillars, must stay intact, with no chinks in the armour letting bullets through.
SVI recently uncovered fraud in its industry, with a lack of expertise and customers being ripped off.
A Toyota Fortuner, supposedly at B4 level, was sent to SVI for a window replacement.
“We took the opportunity to investigate ... there was no armouring in the front fender.”
The fender protects electronics and engine bay. Many more “chinks” came to light, not to mention a litre of water in the door as drainage was plugged with adhesive
holding in Kevlar.