The Rhino Runner is a type of armored bus used extensively in

Iraq Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to the north, Iran to the east, the Persian Gulf and K ...

, especially on the infamous

Route Irish The Baghdad Airport Road is a 12-kilometre (7.5 mi) stretch of highway in Baghdad, Iraq linking the Green Zone, a heavily fortified area at the centre of Baghdad, to Baghdad International Airport (BIAP). It also links different parts of Bag ...

between

Baghdad International Airport Baghdad International Airport , previously Saddam International Airport ( ar, مطار بغداد الدولي, Maṭār Baġdād ad-Dawaliyy) is Iraq's largest international airport, located in a suburb about west of downtown Baghdad in the ...

and The

Green Zone The Green Zone ( ar, المنطقة الخضراء, translit=al-minṭaqah al-ḫaḍrā) is the most common name for the International Zone of Baghdad. It was a area in the Karkh district of central Baghdad, Iraq, that was the governmental ...

. It is a customized vehicle created by Labock Technologies, which was purchased in 2008 by another company called Advanced Blast Protection. In 2010 Advanced Blast Protection was purchased by Armour Group, Inc. The Rhino Runner® is made in various sizes with different purposes. Duties include normal transport of civilian contractors and military personnel, and usage by VIPs, including transport of prisoners involved in the

Iraqi Special Tribunal The Iraqi High Tribunal (IHT), formerly the Iraqi Special Tribunal and sometimes referred to as the Supreme Iraqi Criminal Tribunal, is a body established under Iraqi national law to try Iraqi nationals or residents accused of genocide, crimes aga ...

Known specifications

*Custom-built from chassis up.Labock Technologies Specialized Armor Vehicles
Retrieved May 4th, 2006 *Side and back doors, emergency exit hatch on roof. *Dual A/C system. *360-degree protection includes floor, exhaust system protected by armored grille, and glass. *12 discreet gun ports *6-cylinder turbo diesel 5.88 liters 240 hp. * NIJ Level IV materials (

composite armor Composite armour is a type of vehicle armour consisting of layers of different material such as metals, plastics, ceramics or air. Most composite armours are lighter than their all-metal equivalent, but instead occupy a larger volume for the sam ...

and bullet-resistant glass) tested against .30 caliber AP (U.S. APM2) 166 grain 2850 feet per second. * Instead of adapting armoring for an existing vehicle, Labock uses the most appropriate chassis and motors, and custom builds vehicles with protection against AP (armor-piercing) bullets and significant bomb blast protection.The toughest bus on the planet
gizmag June 18, 2005 Retrieved May 4th, 2006. * The Rhino Runner is fully protected (sides, front, back, roof, floor, and even glass) against up to Type IV (NIJ standard) including

NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO, ; french: Organisation du traité de l'Atlantique nord, ), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental military alliance between 30 member states – 28 European and two No ...

calibers. * Special composite bulletproof armor, which is so light that it floats in water, and ONEWAY® Return Fire Glass that prevents bullets from penetrating, but enables someone to shoot through the glass from inside the vehicle. * Available in a range of seating capacities (17, 24 and 36 people) and configurations for purposes such as prisoner transport,

ambulance An ambulance is a medically equipped vehicle which transports patients to treatment facilities, such as hospitals. Typically, out-of-hospital medical care is provided to the patient during the transport. Ambulances are used to respond to medi ...

, SWAT, command and control, and they can be made to order. * Apart from the 360-degree

ballistic Ballistics may refer to: Science * Ballistics, the science that deals with the motion, behavior, and effects of projectiles ** Forensic ballistics, the science of analyzing firearm usage in crimes ** Internal ballistics, the study of the proc ...

protection, the vehicles have a side and back door and an emergency exit on the roof and run flat tires for when changing a tire is not a viable option.

Usage

The Rhino Runner is mostly used for transportation of civilians and the press between the Baghdad International Airport and the Green Zone. It is also used to transport soldiers from one base to another. VIPs have been known to use the Rhinos, including U.S. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld and General Richard Myers. An unpublicized usage of the buses is to transport VIP prisoners, such as the now-deceased

Saddam Hussein Saddam Hussein ( ; ar, صدام حسين, Ṣaddām Ḥusayn; 28 April 1937 – 30 December 2006) was an Iraqi politician who served as the fifth president of Iraq from 16 July 1979 until 9 April 2003. A leading member of the revolutio ...

, between their confinements and the tribunal.

References

External links

Armour Group
{{Automotive industry in the United States Military trucks Command vehicles Armoured cars Military vehicles of the United States