Non-military armored vehicles

Non-military armored vehicles are armored vehicles used outside of professional armed forces. While primarily invented and used for defence from an equally well armed organised force, armor technology has found a number of other uses outside of this military context.

Internal security forces

Several sovereign states employ a standing internal security force, akin to a military force, but separate from the official army. As such, these official forces are often equipped with the same armored cars, although often fitted with less lethal armaments, such as water cannon.

In countries that employ a territorial reserve force, only mobilised in times of war for civil defence, these forces may also be equipped with armored cars. As the main heavy armaments may be out of the country or with the main army, the civil defence force may only have these military specification armored cars as their best defence.

Rebel forces

In times of civil war or rebellion, factions or opposition groups without sufficient access to military armor, may convert civilian vehicles into fighting vehicles, adding improvised vehicle armour.

Emergency services

Several domestic police forces possess armored vehicles. These may exist as part of specific response units, such as SWAT. Other forces in specific trouble spots, such as apartheid South Africa, or Northern Ireland at the height of The Troubles, may routinely patrol in armored vehicles.

In Israel, the Emergency medical services also have armored ambulances for the protection of patients and crew.

Prisoner transport

Lightly armoured vans and buses may also be used as Prisoner transport vehicles, as protection against attempts to break the prisoners out of custody.

Buses

In some cases, buses may also be fitted with armor. These can also be used by the regular military, but are still serving their main purpose of transporting people.

Valuables

Armored cars often find use in transporting valuable commodities, usually currency, in order to provide a defence against robbery.

VIP transport

Several VIPs such as businessmen, politicians and diplomats may choose to be transported, or provided with an armored passenger car, as a protection against kidnap or assassination.

Tornado chasing

In the field of tornado study, a vehicle has been specially modified to be able to drive into the heart of tornados to take measurements while protecting the occupants from debris.

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