The Nigerian Army has begun series production of its indIgenous Infantry Patrol Vehicle (IPV) at the Nigerian Army Vehicles Manufacturing Company (NAVMC) at Rigachikun in Kaduna state.
The Nigerian Chief of Army Staff Lieutenant General Tukur Buratai on 26 January formally commissioned the Nigerian Army Vehicles Manufacturing Company (NAVMC) and took a tour of the factory was carried out and took in the NAC-V (infantry patrol vehicle), B vehicle assembly plant, fitter machine plant, engine overhaul shop, engine test bay, fabrication, painting and spray shop and foundry and metalsmith shop.
The NAV-C facility has produced 50 IPV/NAC-V units in the last two months,and also refurbished some Otokar Cobra light armoured vehicles, a BTR recovery vehicle, and an MT-LB tracked carrier.
The IPV was displayed during the first Nigerian Army Research and Innovation Summit held in Abuja in February 2017, armed with 12.7 mm DsHK and 7.62 mm FN MAG machine guns and reportedly weighs 650 kg.
According to the COAS, the Nigerian Army had invested extensive research into developing the IPV to meet its requirements and that several had already been used in counter-insurgency operations in the northeast of the country.
“The Armoured Fighting Vehicles and other tactical and logistics vehicles commissioned today will be deployed to support ongoing operations in the North East and other parts of Nigeria,” he said.
During the launch, Buratai said that the Nigerian Army will start exporting combat vehicles to other African countries around 2030 after meeting Nigerian Army requirements around 2025.
“Today marked an indelible milestone in the history of the Nigerian Army’s march towards self-reliance in the production and maintenance of armoured fighting vehicles and other classes of vehicles as over the years the Nigerian Army has relied on importation of such vehicles, thereby spending huge foreign exchange which in turn depletes capital allocations”, said the Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of NAVMC, Major General VO Ezugwu.
To promote indigenous contractors and the local content policy of the Federal Government, the military vehicle manufacturing company will partner with some companies like ASD Motors Nigeria Ltd, Venture Force Limited, Innoson Motors, Machine Tool Company Osogbo and Peugeot Automobile Kaduna.
In recent time, The Nigerian military has acquired armoured vehicles from other domestic manufacturers such as the Proforce Ara (Thunder) Mine -Resistance and Protection (MRAP) vehicle produced in conjunction with the Defence Industries Corporation of Nigeria (DICON).
Nigerian Army locally made Infantry Patrol Vehicle (IPV)
The Nigerian Army engineers Corp known to be innovative and creative in the face of overwhelming obstacle came up with the IPV to tackle the high-speed high-mobility engagement they usually encounter in the arid desert of the north eastern Nigeria. The IPV primary roles includes;
- Forward Battlefield Observation
- Rapid Response and engagement
- Reconnaissance behind enemy lines
- Fire support
- Enemy Pursuit in challenging terrains