Police get bite in new armored vehicles

New mainland-made “sabertoothed tiger” armored vehicles are expected to be put into operation next month, police said.

The armored vehicle measures 6.7 meters long, 2.36m wide, and 3m high.

All the vehicles are bulletproof even the windscreen and windows, a spokesman told The Standard.

“In addition to enhancing the protection ability, the saber-tooth is equipped with a multi-hole launcher that can fit in with different types of low-destructive ammunition,” the force told The Standard, “and it is also equipped with an advanced infrared video recording system.”

Other capabilities include smoke or teargas grenade launchers, searchlights, a speaker system, an electric winch, a camera system, an infrared camera system, and a long-range acoustic device – an anti-riot sound device.

Its tires have also been designed to continue to function even when flat.

“The reason for introducing the new armored vehicle is to ensure public order and safety, as well as carry out anti-terrorism tasks,” the force said.

The force said the Electrical and Mechanical Services Department has already tested the fourth-generation vehicles, and officers will carry internal training this month.

The new armored vehicle will be put into use next month, it said.

The force’s current fleet of Unimog armored vehicles has been in service for more than 10 years since March 2009, and the wear and tear on them accelerated with their frequent deployment in 2019 and 2020 amid the unrest.

“A Unimog vehicle was deployed to the Hong Kong Polytechnic University for antiriot operations on November 17 and 18 in 2019,” the force said, “shielding against petrol bombs as well as opening the way for specialized crowd management vehicles and anti-riot squads.”

In 2018, the police force embarked on the process of procuring the six armored vehicles to replace the Unimogs, with the tendering process being completed in October.

According to last year’s budget, the SAR government had set aside some HK$78 million to acquire six of the mainland-made armored vehicles, with each costing around HK$12.7 million.