Armoured Toyota Fortuner 4x4 SUVs Spotted On A Trailer: Is It For Indian Army?

The Indian Army uses a variety of vehicles, and we have seen some of them on our roads. Apart from the army cars and trucks that are often seen on the road, they have a separate section where they use a range of armoured trucks and special-purpose vehicles. We have featured some of these on our website in the past.

Recently, a set of images has been circulating online, showing several Toyota Fortuners on a trailer. These are claimed to be army vehicles, but are they for the Indian Army? Let’s dig a bit into the image and find out.

The images have been shared by MRD Vlogs on their Facebook page. The post was shared with the caption: “Toyota Fortuner 4x4 Army Edition - Heavy Modifications With Bulletproof Doors & Tyres.” The caption only says “Army.” It doesn’t specify which country. Because of this, we feel that many might find the post misleading.

The vehicles seen in the post are definitely Toyota Fortuners, and we see a couple of Fortuner SUVs finished in a matte copper shade. These vehicles were probably customised for the army, but we don’t think they are for the Indian Army.

The Fortuners are seen on a truck and trailer, and the registration number plate on the truck is a clear indicator that the image was not clicked in India. In India, we drive on the left side of the road, but in this image, the truck is being driven on the right side, as we can clearly see vehicles coming from the opposite direction passing on the left.

Coming to the Fortuner itself, it gets an off-road-spec bumper, matte copper paint, blacked-out chrome elements, and a copper badge on the tailgate. We also see that the SUV has shackles and hooks on the rear bumper, and the tail lamps, windshield, and windows are all fitted with an external mesh for protection.

The front bumper of the Fortuner has also been modified, and we notice that the SUV is now running on chunkier off-road-spec tyres. Metal mesh protection can be seen on the headlamps as well. The SUV looks taller than usual, and we assume that is probably because it has been lifted. Metal rock sliders are also visible in the pictures.

Does the Indian Army Have Fortuners?

Yes, the Indian Army does have Toyota Fortuner SUVs in its fleet. We recently saw a video of a group of Indian Army Fortuners on their way to Jammu & Kashmir during the recent India-Pakistan escalations.

The green-coloured Indian Army Fortuner is likely used by the Indian Army Corps of Signals. It is a combat support arm of the Indian Army, responsible for military communications. It was formed on 15 February 1911 as a separate entity under Lieutenant Colonel S. H. Powell and went on to make important contributions during World War I and World War II.

Apart from Fortuners, the Indian Army also uses custom-made Hilux pickup trucks that were delivered to them by Toyota.