RPGs are common in cartel arsenals, and seemingly with good reason. The extra bed could serve as a area for normal bed things, or as cover from hostile fire. Also believed to be a Dodge truck (based on interior photos of the steering wheel) it supposedly belonged to Cártel del Golfo. SUV Narco Tanks tend to be light, but there are examples of extensively modified and heavily armed types. It features air conditioning, and possibly fire-proof insulation. It is based on a Ford Super Duty. It has a heavy steel battering ram on the front, which is also electrified with up to 700 volts! a comment: They can be operated like gun-trucks similar to the ones seen employed by the US during the Vietnam War. Despite the crude construction, the materials used in its construction are high-quality steel and bulletproof glass. cool to have a page on this, never been seen before, did anyone(besides me) here about the mi24 helo stole in venezala, would be cool to have a isis/Syrian rebel/Libyan rebel truck page. The Incas’ skepticism concerning the new Mexican tanks had faded rapidly, once the technical specifications had been presented to them. Los Zetas are perhaps one of the most brutal cartels operating in Mexico, gaining infamy for events such as the massacre of 300+ civilians in Allende, Coahuila, north East Mexico, simply because two local men betrayed Los Zetas – this being just one of many other high profile incidents. No claims are made regarding the accuracy of Mexico Military 2020 information contained here. That looks very good! 7.5cm Pak 40 auf Raupenschlepper Ost (RSO). Cartels.forumotion.com Multi-Purpose Medium-Class Military Truck, Mercedes-Benz UNIMOG (UNIversal-MOtor-Gerat), Armored Recovery Vehicle / Prime Mover Tracked Vehicle, Half-Track Multi-Purpose Armored Personnel Carrier, Towed Anti-Aircraft Gun / Air Defense Gun. It could carry as many as eight men. The one with the Dodge steering wheel… is not based on a Dodge truck. On Tuesday, Alexander Denisov, the head of the marketing department of Russia's state arms exporter Rosoboronexport, told Sputnik that Mexico plans to buy a new batch of Russia's Mi-17 military transport helicopters in the near future. Also consider Small arms currently in service by national army. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. Seized June, 2011, Tamaulipas. Polizeros.com Conservative estimates give the figure of 70,000 for those killed in cartel-related attacks from 2006-2012, military intervention having greatly exacerbated this. Whereas, larger civilian and commercial vehicles tend to blend in (as they would attract less attention from authorities, both on the road and during purchase), are easy to maintain, and spare parts are easy to come by. Despite its crude-looks, this is one of the more ‘polished’ interiors, featuring benches for crews to sit on and large firing ports. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. Another view of the heavily armored truck featuring a ram, seized January 2012, Carmago, Tamaulipas. 2) The rank that you see is the CIA reported rank, which may have the following issues: Over the last ten years, Mexico has seen high levels of violence due to competition between cartels, each competing for control of drugs routes into the USA. A video of Monstruo 2010 having been seized. Interior of the above Narco Tank (or possibly the other above truck, sources differ). Original German WWII PAK 36 Stielgranate 41 37mm High Explosive Anti-Tank Stick Grenade with Transit Tube $3,995.00 $2,995.00 VIEW DETAILS There are twelve portholes with space for 13 crew members. These vehicles seem to be used exclusively as an offensive weapon against rival cartels. They have also not been used against civilians as an offensive weapon. A .50cal sniper riveted to the rear of a modern Narco Tank based on an enclosed people carrier. On average, its armor is one inch (25.4mm) thick. Required fields are marked *. Bullets aren’t going to “bounce off” a VW Beetle. Monstruo 2010 is the more crude looking version, based on a large SUV. I would probably replace the engine with a much heavier pulling V12 able to support all of the added weight. The most recent reported sighting of Narco Tanks was in February 2015, when a Narco Tanks factory hidden inside a winery was discovered by Mexican authorities near Nuevo Laredo, close to the US border. Border areas very useful territory, as they give shorter smuggling trips, which means that there is less time and opportunity for the smugglers to be intercepted by Mexican authorities. However, they feature a major weak point – tires, which are rarely bulletproof and are seldom protected by armor plating. Smaller Narco Tanks are generally based on SUVs and pickup trucks. If i were to build a narco tank i would start with a Ford F-150 Raptor, and cut out the rear panel separating the cab from the bed. The "Military Factory" name and MilitaryFactory.com logo are registered ® U.S. trademarks protected by all applicable domestic and international intellectual property laws. Entries are listed by initial year of service descending. Perhaps surprisingly, it only began operating as a truly independent organization in 2010, but its roots stretch back the the late 1990s after a group of Mexican army commandos deserted and began working for Cártel del Golfo, one of the oldest cartels in Mexico. It is named “Monstruo 2010”, it is perhaps an early version of  “Monstruo 2011”, although they are more than likely unrelated designs. The Mexican Revolution (1910–1920) had claimed hundreds of thousands of lives; as many more were displaced or saw their homes and cities destroyed. Flag images indicative of country of … Many of them have battering rams, perhaps to burst through gates, enemy vehicles, or even general traffic. For example, one vehicle had a turret designed for a sniper to cover a 160-degree radius towards the front. A heavily armored Narco Tank nicknamed “Batmobile”, seized January 2012, Carmago, Tamaulipas. The cabin and vehicle platform are all one piece, meaning that the suspension is less likely to snap in the middle. Not to scale. Some photos exist of abandoned Narco Tanks having been severely damaged by RPGs fired from opposing cartels, and some knocked out vehicles have even been graffitied, daring Los Zetas to send more Narco Tanks to their doom. It also has smoke-screen, oil-slicking, and nail-dropping devices. Whereas some vehicles even reportedly have gadgets that chuck nails or oil onto the road, presumably to help lose a tailing vehicle. A ‘light’ Narco Tank – a large pick-up truck (possibly a 1999 Chevrolet Silverado 2500) featuring an armored pillbox on the rear. Modern Land Vehicles, Tanks and Artillery by Operating Country. It features a single turret at the front of the crew compartment for a sniper. thanks for the feedback,,, i will try to make it better! They may still carry heavier weapons such as .50 cal sniper rifles, but rarely anything larger. Although, maybe the axles are kinda badly done. Seized January 2012, Carmago, Tamaulipas. Insightcrime.org Level IV is a predicted evolution of Level III – an Improvised Armored Fighting Vehicle with an anti-vehicular main gun (probably some form of AA gun) and possibly thicker armor. They are usually (but not exclusively) work trucks featuring exterior armor, 5-25mm thick, gun ports, air conditioning for passengers, external gun mounts, battering rams, and even small turrets. “Monstruos del Narcos” (infographic in Spanish on Monstruo 2010) Despite seeming as though they want to have political and social control over areas, Los Zetas and other cartels are not wholly hierarchical in their structure. SUVs and commercial vehicles serve as the chassis for Narco Tanks, and they are tooled up with armor, turrets, mounted weapons, and even James Bond-like gadgets. Army > Main battle tanks: ... Army (Ejercito), Mexican Air Force (Fuerza Aerea Mexicana, FAM); Secretariat of the Navy (Secretaria de Marina, Semar): Mexican Navy (Armada de Mexico (ARM); includes Naval Air Force (FAN), Mexican Naval Infantry Corps (Cuerpo de Infanteria de Marina, Mexmar or CIM)) Two of the most famous Narco Tanks are known as Monstruo 2010 and Monstruo 2011. Please direct all other inquiries to militaryfactory AT gmail.com. Your email address will not be published. A journalist in Mexico, Alex Backman, has recently released a video where he makes the claims of tanks with Red Stars staged in Mexico. These vehicles can differ greatly, having been based on SUVs (Sports Utility Vehicles) like the Ford F-350, and even larger vehicles like commercial vans, dumper trucks, and even tractors in rarer instances. Crucially, the lookouts could only do this once the authorities were in the process of carrying out a raid, whereas tapping into communication systems would inform the Narco Tank of potential threats before they have even begun moving. Seized June 2011, Tamaulipas Unconventional weapons are used on these vehicles, too. Level III Narco Tanks can be split further into two categories – SUVs and large commercial vehicles. A similar heavily armored truck featuring a ram, seized January 2012, Carmago, Tamaulipas. Indeed, this precedes the modern Narco Tank, but such vehicles are very likely to exist due to the reduced chance of attracting attention. It is less likely to attract attention from authorities. Mexico’s top military commander himself recently admitted his … Level III (mature) vehicles make up the bulk of sensationally photographed Narco Tanks (although many examples of Level III Early vehicles exist). Los Zetas seems to act in a military-fashion, by wearing military uniforms and setting up roadblocks with their Narco Tanks, which sometimes look similar to military vehicles, save for a few details. Whilst cartels could probably afford military grade vehicles, they are large, conspicuous, and spare parts are not readily available. Mexican military seize drug cartel's homemade TANK converted by covering pickup truck with bulletproof armor plates Mexico's National Guard seized a pickup that had been converted into a tank … It does not seem to feature any gadgets like Monstruo 2010, but it was, undoubtedly, a sophisticated and well-planned design, probably created using blueprints, which would explain the existence of two Monstruo 2011s. Hello Joe, One of the larger Narco Tanks, it might be based on a dump truck, and it supposedly belonged to Cártel Del Golfo. Narco Tanks were first reported around 2010. SUVs and commercial vehicles serve as the chassis for Narco Tanks, and they are tooled up with armor, turrets, mounted weapons, and even James Bond-like gadgets. To increase ramming power i would attach a bull bar to the front, protecting the engine and pushing debris away from the tank. It features space for 20 men, with individual steel firing stations for each porthole. This type of Narco Tank is becoming more common, because it is more stealthy, although the machine gun is very obvious, and it seems as though it would be near impossible to aim. Latino.foxnews.com Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. Furthermore, in recent years, these armor kits have become readily available at a low cost for mass consumption, seeing as though the market has grown so large, which means that they are even more common, and have become the most common type of Narco Tank. Los Zetas on Wikipedia Seized in Ciudad Meir, May 2011. “Narco Tanks” (known as “Narco tanques” in Spanish) is an umbrella term made by the media for the improvised armored cars used by modern drugs cartels in Mexico. Everything else seems to be on point though! The Mexican Air Force (FAM; Spanish: Fuerza Aérea Mexicana) is the primary aerial warfare service branch of the Mexican Armed Forces.It is a component of the Mexican Army and depends on the National Defense Secretariat ().The objective of the FAM is to defend the integrity, independence, and sovereignty of Mexico. Mexican tanks also crossed the U.S. border – heading for the Alamo (to take it back). use as references pictures from this article…. They have seen prolific use until 2012, mostly in Tamaulipas, by Los Zetas (and sometimes other cartels), and some limited combat with the military has occurred. This would also enable bullets to bounce of do to the shape of the beatle. Being barely modified, it could probably hit speeds of 110km/h (68mph). The Aero-tanque para Combate del Alcance extremo, Modelo 2297 “General David Héctor Ledesma Cuadra”was a specialized fighter, but in its element, it was the equal of anything fielded by the hated Brazilians. Interior of the above Narco Tank. It also featured a satellite communication system for listening to police / military communications – perhaps one of the most inventive and ingenious devices ever attached to a Narco Tank. [ 28 ] Mexico Land Systems (Current and Former Types), HMMWV (High Mobility Multi-Purpose Wheeled Vehicle) / (Humvee), 4x4 High-Mobility Multi-Purpose Wheeled Vehicle, 6-Wheeled Armored Personnel Carrier (APC), Armored Car / Reconnaissance / Security Vehicle, M151 MUTT (Military Utility Tactical Truck), Wheeled Light Armored Scout / Reconnaissance Car, AMX VCI (Vehicule de Combat d-Infanterie). Possibly the largest Narco Tank discovered yet. It has space for 18 passengers. 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