internal security vehicle
An internal security vehicle (ISV), also known as an armored security vehicle (ASV), is an armoured personnel carrier/ armoured car used for supporting contingency operations.
Design
Security vehicles are typically armed with a turreted heavy ma ...
s designed and manufactured by
Heavy Industries Taxila
Heavy Industries Taxila (Reporting name: HIT), ( ur, ) is a Pakistani state-owned defence, military contractor, engineering conglomerate, and military corporation located in Taxila, Punjab, Pakistan.4×4 internal security (IS) vehicle called the Mohafiz. This was first shown in mid-November 2000 and in December 2000 started extensive trials.
Engine
It is powered by a 4.2 litre diesel engine coupled to a manual transmission with five forward and one reverse gears and a two speed transfer case. If required, a more powerful 4.5 litre diesel engine could be installed to provide a higher power-to-weight ratio.
Although the first example of the Mohafiz is based on a
Toyota Land Cruiser
The (also sometimes spelled as LandCruiser) is a series of four-wheel drive vehicles produced by the Japanese automobile manufacturer Toyota. It is Toyota's longest running series of models. , the sales of the Land Cruiser totalled more than ...
chassis, it could also be built on other 4 × 4 chassis. This includes the Land Rover Defender 110 (4 × 4), which is already in service with the
Pakistan Army
The Pakistan Army (, ) is the Army, land service branch of the Pakistan Armed Forces. The roots of its modern existence trace back to the British Indian Army that ceased to exist following the partition of India, Partition of British India, wh ...
in large numbers.
Vehicles supplied to Iraq were based on a Land Rover 110 (4 × 4) chassis.
Design
The Mohafiz APC has an all-welded aluminium armour body that provides the occupants with protection from small arms fire up to 7.62 mm in calibre and shell splinters. The fully enclosed engine compartment is at the front with the crew compartment extending to the rear.
The commander and driver are seated at the front and provided with bulletproof windows to their front and a forward opening door with a bulletproof window in the upper part of either side. These bulletproof windows are covered by wire mesh screens. The bulletproof windows provide the same level of protection as the armoured hull.
The troop compartment is at the rear with the troops seated on either side on bench seats and enter the vehicle via a large door in the rear opening to the right.
Bulletproof windows are provided in the sides and rear of the troop compartment. A total of ten firing ports are provided to allow rifles and other small arms to be used from within the vehicle. The upper parts of the hull slope slightly inwards as does the hull rear.
Mounted on the forward part of the roof is a manually operated one person turret armed with a 7.62 mm machine gun and/or a tear gas grenade launcher and a two part roof hatch which opens left and right. Vehicles delivered to Iraq are fitted with a one-person turret armed with a 7.62 mm PK machine gun.
To the immediate rear of the turret are two forward opening roof hatches although the design of the vehicle is flexible so that various types of roof hatch arrangement are possible.
Operational History
The Mohafiz have been heavily used by Pakistani security forces in the
Balochistan
Balochistan ( ; bal, بلۏچستان; also romanised as Baluchistan and Baluchestan) is a historical region in Western and South Asia, located in the Iranian plateau's far southeast and bordering the Indian Plate and the Arabian Sea coastline. ...
province of
Pakistan
Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...
.
In March 2020, a
Frontier Corps
The Frontier Corps ( ur, , reporting name: FC), are a group of paramilitary forces of Pakistan, operating in the provinces of Balochistan (Pakistan), Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, to maintain law and order while overseeing the country's ...
Buleda
Buleda ( Balochi and ur, بُلیدہ), is a small valley and a Tehsil of Kech District in Balochistan province of Pakistan. It is a part of Makran Division situated in the north of Kech. It is located at an altitude of 503 meters (1653 feet) ...
in
Kech District
The Kech District ( ur, ) is a district located in the Balochistan province of Pakistan.
Administration
The district of Kech is administratively subdivided into the following tehsils, each of which contains several villages:gunfight
A shootout, also called a firefight or gunfight, is a fight between armed combatants using firearms. The term can be used to describe any such fight, though it is typically used to describe those that do not involve military forces or only in ...
ensued with the
Militant
The English word ''militant'' is both an adjective and a noun, and it is generally used to mean vigorously active, combative and/or aggressive, especially in support of a cause, as in "militant reformers". It comes from the 15th century Latin " ...
s and in the process, the Mohafiz was struck by an
Improvised explosive device
An improvised explosive device (IED) is a bomb constructed and deployed in ways other than in conventional military action. It may be constructed of conventional military explosives, such as an artillery shell, attached to a detonating mechan ...
, however the ASV survived the explosion.
Variants
; Mohafiz
First model.
; Mohafiz II
2nd model.
; Mohafiz III
3rd model of the Mohafiz Series.
; Mohafiz IV/Interceptor
ASV based on the Toyota LC79 series chasis with major improvements. Developed & manufactured jointly by the Cavalier group and
Heavy Industries Taxila
Heavy Industries Taxila (Reporting name: HIT), ( ur, ) is a Pakistani state-owned defence, military contractor, engineering conglomerate, and military corporation located in Taxila, Punjab, Pakistan.
Iraqi Army
The Iraqi Ground Forces (Arabic: القوات البرية العراقية), or the Iraqi Army (Arabic: الجيش العراقي), is the ground force component of the Iraqi Armed Forces. It was known as the Royal Iraqi Army up until the coup ...
Pakistan
Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...