Proforce unveils new vehicle at Nigerian Army exhibition

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Proforce Limited has unveiled its latest vehicle, the lightweight PF Fury, at the Nigerian Army Research and Development exhibition on 6 July.

The exhibition was part of events commemorating the 2022 Nigerian Army Day Celebration (NADCEL) marking the establishment of the Nigerian Army. Events from 1-6 July included a religious service, golf tournament, medical outreach, and exhibition at the Heroes Square in Owerri. This ‘grand finale’ featured the exhibition of Nigerian Army research and development projects, presentation of Commendation Awards to deserving officers and soldiers and regimental military parades, static display and combat equipment march past.

The event welcomed dignitaries including the Imo State Governor Hope Uzodinma, Minister of Defence, Major General Bashir Salihi Magashi, Chief of Defence Staff, General Lucky Irabor, and Chief of Army Staff Lieutenant General Faruk Yahaya, amongst others.

Proforce was among 45 exhibitors at Owerri, including Defence Industries Corporation of Nigeria (DICON), National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure, the Nigerian Airforce, and the Nigerian Navy.

Proforce used the exhibition to showcase its new PF Fury lightweight combat vehicle, which it said is designed to cater to the needs of the Nigerian military’s infantry and Special Operations forces. “This innovative design has been praised for its modular design that makes it adaptable to various missions,” the company said.

Proforce also displayed its PF Viper armoured personnel carrier, unveiled last year as a lighter, faster and more manoeuvrable version of its Ara vehicle. The company’s flagship APC is its PF2, which has been exported to Rwanda, the Central African Republic and South Sudan (it is used for United Nations peacekeeping missions in the CAR and South Sudan). At home, the Nigerian Police Force has acquired a number of PF2 APCs, and this includes by Rivers State and Lagos State. On the larger end of the scale, Proforce’s flagship MRAP is its Ara (Thunder), which is designed and manufactured in Nigeria.

In addition to its flagship Ara and PF2 vehicles, Proforce has a steadily growing product portfolio that encompasses land, air and sea. This includes armoured Toyota Hilux vehicles, Special Combat Vehicles (Hilux type vehicles with armour and weapons turrets), armoured patrol boats between 9.5 and 11 metres long, cash in transit vehicles (Toyota Hiace, Hilux, Isuzu etc.), armoured SUVs (e.g. Land Cruiser, Mercedes, Lexus LX570, Cadillac Escalade, Range Rover, FJ Cruiser), armoured passenger busses (Mercedes Viano, Toyota etc.) and armoured sedans.

One of the other products that stood out at the exhibition was the tube-launched kamikaze drone exhibited by Advanced Protection Systems.

Some of the vehicles displayed during NADCEL 2022 by the Nigerian military included VT-4 main battle tanks, Spartan infantry fighting vehicles, ST-1 tank destroyers, Mengshi armoured vehicles, and SH-5 105 mm self-propelled howitzers.

Alti Transition unmanned aerial vehicles, recently acquired from South Africa for the Nigerian Police, were also on display.