Light reconnaissance vehicle for Italian "seals"

[Nico]

Hallo:
this time I would submit you another picture of a light tactical vehicle I'm unable to identify. The photo was snapped by my friend Pierangelo Caiti and published on the issue of July 2008 of "Rivista Italiana Difesa".
The caption is not too informative: one of the new reconnaissance vehicles used by Comsubin (Comando Incrusori Subacquei, the Italian "seals").
I'm totally unable to identity it: any idea about?

Nico

 

[curious george]

Really reminds me of the modified special operations landcruiser used by the Jordanians.

 

[Nico]

...that could be really an answer Curious George, as Italian and Jordanian special forces organised several exercises in Jordanian desert in very recent years. Perhaps, in those occasions, the Italian Navy seals discovered that special version of Land Rover...

Nico

 

[Apophenia]

curiousgeorge is right, that's the long-chassis version of Jankel's Fox/Al Thalab LRPV. Presumably this is a candidate to replace ComSubIn's AR 90 VAV (Veicolo d'Assalto Veloce) with WMIK (Weapon Mounted Installation Kit).

 

[Firefly 2]

Yet another in the long line of succesors to the vehicles used in WWII by the Long Range Desert Group (UK).
Most spec ops teams use these kinds of vehicles. Last month I talked to a former Belgian para-commando who used to ride in a Bombardier 4x4 fitted with no less than 2 FN MAG's, 2 Minimi's and a FN Browning M2. Used in Rwanda, but to no avail to the Belgian soldiers who died there.
Just to say: this kind of vehicle is not that uncommon.

 

[Nico]

Hi friends,
googleing around, I found this more revealing picture, taken from David Cenciotti's blog, of the 'Italian Seals' scout vehicle. Noteworthy are the Sikorsky SH-34J/UH-34J Seabat helo of the historical collection on the Sarzana-Luni (La Spezia) base and the licence plate of the vehicle is definitely not Italian 8but I can't say where it came from).


Nico

 

[robunos]

That's a UK number plate...




cheers,
Robin.

 

[CostasTT]

The UK plate is probably because the Al-Thalab was designed by Jankel. The company's US arm - Jankel Tactical Systems (JTS) market it as the Fox LRPV.

 

[JFC Fuller]

To follow up what somebody else said, Jankel's speciality is the Toyota Land Cruiser so this is probably based on that chassis.