The IAG Guardian is a United Arab Emirates-made armored vehicle. It was developed by the International Armored Group company. It's 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 projectile 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 produced 352 HP power with 5 or 6 speed

automatic transmission An automatic transmission (sometimes abbreviated to auto or AT) is a multi-speed transmission used in internal combustion engine-based motor vehicles that does not require any input from the driver to change forward gears under normal driving c ...

. 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 the 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 Trinitrotoluene (), more commonly known as TNT, more specifically 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene, and by its preferred IUPAC name 2-methyl-1,3,5-trinitrobenzene, is a chemical compound with the formula C6H2(NO2)3CH3. TNT is occasionally used as a reagen ...

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

SDF Guardian Armored Personnel Carrier 1

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

Syrian Democratic Forces , war = the Syrian Civil War , image = Flag of Syrian Democratic Forces.svgborder , caption = Flag , active = 10 October 2015 – present , ideology = DemocracyDecentralizationSecularism ...

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; ms, Angkatan Tentera Malaysia; 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 pers ...

for its peacekeeping mission in

Lebanon Lebanon ( , ar, لُبْنَان, translit=lubnān, ), officially the Republic of Lebanon () or the Lebanese Republic, is a country in Western Asia. It is located between Syria to the north and east and Israel to the south, while Cyprus li ...

under the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and international security, security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be ...

(UN) flag.

Operators

* : In police service. * : 45 Guardian Xtreme MRAPs delivered in December 2021 for Bulgarian special forces. They were built locally at the SAMARM 90 factory. * : In Public Security Service. * : 12 Guardian 4x4 Xtreme in service with Malaysian Army. * : The Nigerien Army received IAG Guardians courtesy of German assistance. * : In police service.

Non-state actors

Peshmerga The Peshmerga ( ku, پێشمەرگه, Pêşmerge, lit=those who face death) is the Kurdish military forces of the autonomous Kurdistan Region of Iraq. According to the Constitution of Iraq, the Peshmerga, along with their security subsidiaries, ...

References

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