South African protection for Canadian soldiers

A partnership between DaimlerChrysler and a South African defence firm, Land Mobility Technologies (LMT), in Pretoria has led to a R610-million contract to supply the Canadian Armed Forces with armoured trucks. Eighty-two trucks were ordered, with an option for an additional 26 trucks. LMT produces the protected cab, which is dispatched to Mercedes-Benz in Germany, where it is added to an Actros all-terrain truck chassis, producing an armoured truck capable of carrying 15 t of load. The Canadians use the trucks in Afghanistan, where they are deployed as logistics vehicles. LMT, a nine-year-old company, said the cab offers mine-blast resistance, and protection against improvised explosive devices and ballistic threats. This is their biggest contract to date. The new contract led to a R5-million capital layout and created 30 new jobs. Previous work includes creating armoured Humvees and Unimogs for a Middle Eastern country.