The Ghanaian Army has commissioned into active services dozens of Jordanian SFIGHTER-2 armoured personnel carriers.
The vehicles were unveiled by the Ghanaian Chief of the Defence Staff (CDS) Lieutenant General Thomas Oppong-Peprah on Monday 26 August at the Burma military camp.
The SFIGHTER-2 armoured personnel carriers are designed by Shield Armored Vehicles (SAV) in Jordan. The company manufacture and retrofit Armored Personnel Carriers (APCs), Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected Vehicles (MRAP), Special Purpose Vehicles, Cash-in-Transit (CITs), Armored SUVs (For Security Forces and Patrols) Armored Luxury (For VIPs), Armored Pickups and Armored Buses that are designed according to client preferences provide effective protection in high-risk situations.
The APC SFIGHTER-2 armoured personnel carriers is fitted with a manual transmission, and a diesel 4.5L V8 Turbo engine.
The vehicle was built on the Toyota Land Cruiser 79 chassis, and can withstand small arms fire of up to B6. It seats eight passengers including the driver and commander. The SFIGHTER-2 provides the flexibility to fulfill a wide range of operational needs.
The armoured vehicle joins several others recently acquired to enhance the capacity of the Ghanaian armed forces.
In February last year, to enhance the mobility and overall operational capabilities of the Ghana Armed Forces, it acquired 245 vehicles including 70 Kamaz trucks, 20 BTR-70 armoured personnel carriers (APCs), 20 Navistar Defence Husky tactical support vehicles (TSVs), and 65 Toyota utility vehicles.
Subsequently, in October 2023, the European Union (EU) donated over 100 armoured military vehicles to the West African nation. These vehicles were originally seized from a ship off the coast of Libya as part of EU maritime efforts to enforce the UN arms embargo on Libya.
The donated vehicles includes BATT UMG armoured vehicles, Toyota Land Cruisers, Chevrolet trucks, and GMC trucks. At least 28 BATT UMGs, manufactured by the United Arab Emirates’ The Armoured Group, were being transported by the MV Meerdijk to Libya when the merchant vessel was inspected by Irini forces on 11 October 2022.
While China’s Poly Technologies in January this year, gifted rocket artillery, armoured vehicles to Ghana.
Meanwhile, Ghana has taken the first step in building a viable military industrial complex to supply it’s military with equipment.
Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia Monday, 4 April 2922, inaugurated a joint venture companies under the Defence Industries Holding Company (DIHOC), and also commissioned construction equipment worth US $18 million to support the military’s operations and the General Headquarters Office Complex of the Military.
Around 13 JVC are collaborating with Ghana’s military to manufacture equipment such as ammunition, bullion vans, electronic gadgets, footwear, computers, phones, pre-paid metres, military weapons, textiles and garments.
