Kenyan police acquire Tygra APC

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The Kenyan Police Service is operating the Tygra armoured personnel carrier manufactured by Mezcal in the United Arab Emirates.

A Tygra was seen in the Turkana area of Kenya in late June after residents blocked roads in protest against lack of investment and opportunities from oil companies. The Kenyan police were called in as a result, and a Tygra was subsequently observed with a weapons turret.

It is not clear how many Tygras have been delivered.

The Tygra is based on the Toyota Landcruiser 70 and modified with B6+ armour. It is powered by a 4.5 litre V8 engine developing 380 hp and giving a top speed of 120 km/h. It can seat up to eight persons. A V-shaped hull is designed to withstand blasts equivalent to 8 kg of TNT. Weapons options include remotely controlled turrets with 7.62 or 12.7 mm machineguns. Dual air conditioners are designed to keep temperatures inside to manageable levels.

In recent years the Kenya Police Service has taken delivery of a large number of new vehicles, with deliveries accelerating in 2017 before the presidential elections. Some of the new equipment received last year included at least six South Korean Jino riot control vehicles (joining more than ten others), firearms, ammunition and teargas.

The Kenyan Police Service also recently received 43 Toyota Landcruiser 4X4 patrol vehicles in single-cab configuration. The vehicles were donated by the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) and they will be used for policing operations in and around the Dadab and Kakuma refugee camps.

In January 2017 the Kenyan Police Service officially received 500 vehicles, including 25 Chinese-made CS/VP3 Mine-Resistant Ambush protected vehicles (MRAPs), light trucks and saloons. In February 2016, the Kenyan police received 30 Norinco VN4 4×4 armoured vehicles from China for use in anti-terror, peacekeeping and police missions by the General Service Unit. The Kenya Police Service now has nearly 3 000 security vehicles in its fleet.

The police Air Wing is also being modernised, and on 29 June officially received three new rotorcraft from Leonardo Helicopters, including two AW139s and a single SW-4. One of the aircraft is configured for VIP operations and another is fitted with a surveillance camera. It is believed Kenya ordered the helicopters at a cost of Sh4 billion ($39 million). The acquisitions bring the fleet to 11 helicopters and two fixed wing aircraft. The Kenyan police had another AW139 in service (5Y-NPS) but this was destroyed in a crash in September 2016. Another recent acquisition was a single Mi-17V-5 (5Y-DCI) delivered in March 2017.