PANGOLIN
In 2011 the decision was made to replace some of the current fleet of Tangi's, due to the ongoing security threat and the age of the current fleet. In January 2011 The Police Service of Northern Ireland awarded a contract to OVIK Special Vehicles (part of the OVIK Group) to build 60 of the first generation replacement armoured Land Rovers called PANGOLIN. The company had only five months from the contract being awarded to the delivery date to design test and construct the fleet. Between June and July 2011 the new PANGOLIN's where delivered and are now in use with The Police Service of Northern Ireland. OVIK Group announced that they have been awarded a second contract in April 2012 to design and build 60 second generation PANGOLINs.
The Batch 2 (B2) PANGOLINs were delivered to the PSNI on the 27th June 2012 - the day the Queen famously shook hands with Martin McGuinness - the Deputy First Minister of Northern Ireland and former IRA Chief of Staff. PANGOLIN B2 is a developed version of the B1 specification - utilising lessons identified from the B1 fleet to make improvements in weight, handling and performance.
The name PANGOLIN refers to a species of reclusive armoured ant-eater from South-East Asia. In an unpredicted twist - the new PANGOLINS soon took on the epithet PANGI... coined by PSNI officers... a nod to the Tangi forerunner.
Read more about this topic: Land Rover Tangi