Defender

Make
Land Rover
Segment
SUV

One of the world's coolest new (and expensive) SUVs is now being tested for a very important and dangerous mission. Ineos Automotive has joined forces with the HALO Trust, the world's largest charity dedicated to clearing old landmines. The HALO Trust currently operates in 25 countries and has a global fleet consisting of over 600 4x4 vehicles. Needless to say, the British-American organization does extremely challenging work in some of the world's toughest places like Afghanistan.

For the past two years, Ineos has worked with the organization to develop the Grenadier for HALO's operations. The automaker intends to build a new fleet of custom-built Grenadiers specifically for HALO.

Unlike the road-going 4x4s, these SUVs will come equipped with anchor points for armored floor plates and space for mine-clearing tools. These vehicles will also be able to be converted into ambulances for, sadly, obvious reasons. There are currently over 130 Grenadier prototypes undergoing testing throughout the globe and these prototypes will join HALO's Kosovo operations in order to test things like road capabilities and field repairs.

"From mountain tracks to urban battlefields, HALO goes further to find and destroy landmines," said James Cowan, CEO of the HALO Trust. "This means that we need a vehicle fleet fit for war zones, rainforests, and deserts."

"Our 9,000 de-miners are some of the most resilient people on the planet-they need a vehicle they can rely on to keep them safe and get the job done. We want to share our experiences with INEOS to help build an off-roader ready for the challenges of the 21st century."

HALO's current fleet of Land Rover Defender SUVs is aging and the Ineos Grenadier is the most logical replacement. The grueling on-the-job training will also benefit Grenadier customers. "All the knowledge and insight HALO is sharing with us is incredibly valuable to the engineering program, and will ultimately help us create the toughest, most capable vehicle for all users," said Ineos CEO Dirk Heilmann.