Non-military armored vehicle

Non-military armoured vehicles are armored vehicles used outside professional armed forces. While primarily invented and used for defense from an equally well armed organized force, armour technology has found a number of other uses outside of this military context.

Several sovereign states employ a standing internal security force, akin to a military force, but separate from the official army. As such, these official forces are often equipped with the same armored cars, although often fitted with less lethal armaments, such as water cannon.

In countries that employ a territorial reserve force, only mobilized in times of war for civil defense, these forces may also be equipped with armoured cars. As the main heavy armaments may be out of the country or with the main army, the civil defense force may only have these military specification armored cars as their best defense.

In North America, the Armoured Rescue Vehicle is the term for non-military armoured vehicles used by SWAT teams. They offer some ballistic protection, but without high powered armaments.

The United Kingdom police, particularly the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI), has a great number of police role armoured vehicles based upon a range of base platforms including the Land Rover Defender and the OVIK Crossway. The internal security situation in Northern Ireland demands that the police operate up to 450 armoured vehicles which are optimised for public order duties. The PSNI uses OVIK PANGOLIN armoured public order vehicles.

In times of civil war or rebellion, factions or opposition groups without sufficient access to military armour, may convert civilian vehicles into fighting vehicles, adding improvised vehicle armor.

Bulldozers, excavators, and other equipment is sometimes armored to protect operators from debris .

Fire engines used in HAZMAT and airport fire fighting are sometimes armored to protect fire fighters from explosions.

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