Special vehicle construction is used to manufacture high-quality emergency vehicles for various organizations, such as the military, police, fire department or other authorities and organizations with security tasks (BOS).
One of these highly specialized vehicles originating from special vehicle construction are the special vehicles. These are armored wheeled police vehicles. The term "special vehicle" has been known since the time of the Weimar Republic, although the special vehicles of that time naturally have little in common with today's representatives. Some of the modern special vehicles are based on military vehicles, some of which have already been used in crisis areas. Other types are custom-built vehicles designed exclusively for police use. Alternative names for this type of vehicle are police tank, armored personnel carrier or armored car.
Special vehicle construction: different special vehicle models and areas of application
Special vehicle construction allows the construction of special vehicle concepts on a conventional basis, such as the chassis of an off-road vehicle or truck. The add-on parts of the original vehicle are dismantled and then the body of the special vehicle is attached. This is the case, for example, for the Survivor R special vehicle model (the so-called special vehicle 5). The quality of the vehicle technology used should also ensure a functional vehicle in an emergency.
Depending on the equipment and intended use, the frame construction of the vehicle may need to be reinforced. This is the case, for example, if particularly heavy body parts are used as vehicle armor or if the vehicle is to be designed for maximum off-road mobility. Thanks to the special design, a model such as the special vehicle 5 can also be moved off-road and can accommodate up to ten people. Special vehicle 5 is used by both the federal police and the state police.
There are very different special police vehicles, from different vehicle generations, which have more or less strong military elements depending on the basis of the vehicle and therefore also serve different purposes. For example, some former special vehicles that were originally procured for the German Federal Police in Afghanistan have been in use in airport security since 2017 following a conversion.
Special vehicles are used by the federal police and the police forces of the federal states for demonstrations, rampages or disasters. They are used against troublemakers, to protect people or property or in the event of disasters and for cordoning off areas or removing obstacles. Newer vehicles are specially designed for counter-terrorism thanks to special protective functions. Weapons systems are also used in some special vehicles of the Federal Police, mainly to secure airports.
