For the rich and famous, this can be paramount to their safety.
And it’s often discreet protection that’s favoured – take a look at the Range Rovers used to transport the royal family and high-profile politicians and these will be armoured.
And there’s now a new choice on offer in the form of the new Land Rover Defender. Here’s what you need to know.
It’s converted by renowned firm TRASCO
Armoured protection is something that needs to be taken very seriously, and it’s why Land Rover enlists the help of experts TRASCO, which has huge expertise in providing ballistic protection.
TRASCO is also part of official agreements with Jaguar Land Rover to provide approved ballistic protection to JLR customers.
A-Kip Protection utilised
There are all forms of attacks that an armoured car needs to protect against and this new converted Defender is no different. It’s equipped with TRASCO’s ‘A-Kip’ feature, which stands for ‘anti-kidnapping’.
TRASCO says the level of protection offers similar parallels to a ballistic vest, in the way it does not provide complete safety, but offers key protection against critical parts of a person’s body.
Range of upgrades used
TRASCO makes a whole host of upgrades to the Land Rover Defender to improve the protection on offer. All glass uses certified Ballistic glass, while special steel is used for the main roof area and the Alpine windows. The doors are also armoured, while the underbody offers ‘fragmentation blast protection’.
Various options can also be specified for the Defender too, including extended floor protection, a fire suppression system, intercom system and even a self-sealing fuel tank.
Discreet protection
Though a completely armoured vehicle provides the most protection from any threats, these vehicles stand out like a sore thumb and can be targeted easily.
However, this armoured Defender is remarkably inconspicuous in its design, and is discreet thanks to the use of lightweight security grade materials. TRASCO says ‘discretion is often the best form of defence’, and with all of the Defender’s charm and design details remaining, many wouldn’t be able to spot that this is different to any regular model.