The Republic of Congo has ordered Tigr armoured vehicles from Russia, to be used by its police force.
The deal was announced last month. “The first contract has been signed and the first consignment of Tigers is being prepared for delivery to the African continent,” Russia’s Military-Industrial Company (MIC) said. Delivery of the first consignment was scheduled for the end of 2012.
A second contract was pending but MIC did not divulge the volumes involved, citing confidentiality agreements.
The Republic of Congo is the second African country to order the Tigr, after Guinea, which apparently ordered three for the Guinean Presidential Guard in 2011.
The GAZ-233036 Tigr (Tiger) SPM-2 is an armoured police version of the GAZ-2330 high mobility vehicle (the GAZ-2975 Tigr is the armoured military version). It is manufactured by Military Industrial Company, which is part of the GAZ Group division.
The 4×4 Tigr SPM-2 features NATO Stanag 4569 Level 2 ballistic protection, and an automatic inflation system for its tyres. The vehicle can carry 1.5 tons of cargo or 11 passengers (excluding the driver) at a maximum speed of 140-150 km/h. It can be armed with 7.62 or 12.7 mm machineguns or a 30 mm grenade launcher on the roof.
The Tigr is mainly used by the police in Russia and has been exported to half a dozen countries.
