South Africa does not mess around with its military equipment. Witness the Marauder, an armored mine-protected vehicle produced by Paramount Group in Johannesburg.
Introduced in 2008, the Marauder is capable of carrying ten crew members, command and control systems, mounted cannon weapons, and missile launchers. Developed and outfitted for peacekeeping and reconnaissance missions, the Marauder has an operational range of 430 miles.
Currently, the Marauder is also operated by militaries in Azerbaijan, South Africa, Jordan, Serbia, and the Republic of Congo.
In 2011, Jeremy Clarkson test drove a civilian version of the Marauder in South Africa for Top Gear. We have highlighted some of the most amazing features of the demonstration below.
Built for potential combat situations, every inch of the Marauder is reinforced to withstand the harshest possible conditions. Its windows are 3.5 inches thick.
The Marauder has a 290-brake horsepower engine with 1,100 newton meters of torque. This is enough for the Marauder to haul a tow truck attempting to drive in the opposite direction.
In a test by Top Gear, 7 pounds of plastic explosives damaged the vehicle's back bumper and destroyed a tire. But the Marauder was easily able to drive off even after withstanding the damage.
