SVI Unleashes Fierce B6-Armoured Iveco Trakker Truck

SVI Engineering, leading specialist manufacturer of armoured products, has revealed a new B6 armouring package for the Iveco Trakker range of trucks, incorporating a full cab replacement to ensure the ultimate level of protection.

Trading its entire standard cab for a version custom-fabricated from bullet-resistant steel and featuring high-quality ballistic glass, the SVI-armoured Iveco Trakker offers its driver and passenger full B6 protection against assault rifles, including AK47, R5 and R1.

Though developed chiefly for clients carrying high-value cargo through areas of South Africa battling the latest wave in truck-hijacking crime, the Trakker’s load body design is adaptable to various customer requirements, meaning the vehicle can also be configured to function as an ambulance, a fire truck or even an armoured bus.

The Iveco Trakker B6 armoured cab by SVI.

The Bashewa-based firm went about designing an armouring solution for the Iveco Trakker by drawing on its extensive experience developing, manufacturing and fitting the popular Stopgun V2.0 armouring kit to various bakkies and trucks (for use in the security industry) as well as its long-established expertise in the military field.

Rather than employing integrated door, fender and pillar armour, SVI’s engineers opted to replace the entire cab with a fully bespoke – not to mention menacingly styled – crew compartment, effectively eliminating the possibility of ballistic gaps. The design furthermore features flat ballistic glass bolted into each window frame (including gunports in the side windows) to allow for fuss-free replacement should damage be sustained during an attack.

The unique cab construction also protects engine components and includes a tilting nose plate to facilitate routine maintenance, ensuring serviceability remains as close to that of the standard truck as possible, with minimal additional technician training thus required. What’s more, the tilting mechanism has been strengthened to cope with the extra mass of the armoured cab.

“We make a point of listening closely to our customers in order to understand their exact requirements. Yet again, the experienced members of our excellent engineering team have proven they are up to the task, creating yet another innovative product that perfectly meets the needs of our clientele,” said Benny Jiyane, Chairman of SVI Engineering.

Altogether, the various level B6 armouring components add around 500 kg of additional mass, a figure easily dispatched by the Iveco Trakker 380 4×4’s well-proven yet formidable 12.88-litre, six-cylinder diesel engine. With the standard powertrain driving both axles, the armoured truck boasts proper go-anywhere ability. In addition, heavy-duty runflat rings can be fitted to the tyres as an option.

First SVI-Armoured Trakker already in action.

Bradford Wood of the K9 Law Enforcement group of companies has already taken delivery of the first example of SVI’s armoured Iveco Trakker, which has swiftly been put to work transporting valuable cargo on behalf of the security specialist’s clients.

“The safety of our team is paramount. SVI’s solution for the Iveco Trakker ensures just that, while also satisfying the precise requirements of our client base. With a number of the company’s armoured vehicles already doing duty in our fleet, it made sense for us to reach out to SVI for this project. We’re absolutely thrilled with the outcome,” said Wood.

Cost.

Pricing for the Iveco Trakker B6 armouring solution starts at R649,500 (excluding VAT), though this figure will vary according to the chosen specification. Each unit has a three-month build time, with all work completed at SVI Engineering’s ever-growing manufacturing facility outside Pretoria.

Jaco de Kock, CEO of SVI, says the cab-replacement solution will be available not just on the Trakker but on various other models, too.

“Though this new design was specifically implemented on the Iveco Trakker, we have made provision for it to be executed across the full Iveco range, as well as on various other popular truck models. That way, we are able to meet a diverse range of customer requirements,” De Kock explained.