Jordan army receives MRAP armored personnel carriers Nomad and Thunder from Qatar.

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Maj. Gen. Yousef Huneiti on Tuesday attended a ceremony organized on 7th April by the Jordan Armed Forces-Arab Army (JAF) to receive eight armored personnel carriers donated by Qatar including Nomad and Thunder MRAP vehicles, which are part of a total of 44 carriers that the Gulf country is extending to Jordan, the Jordan Times reports.

Qatar has delivered Nomad and Thunder MRAP vehicles to Jordan armed forces. (Picture source Jordan TV)

The ceremony was attended by Qatar’s Ambassador to Jordan Sheikh Saud Bin Nasser Bin Jassim Al Thani and Maj. Gen. Hamad Kubeissi, commander of the Emiri Border Guard, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported. The donation reflects the “deep-rooted” Jordanian-Qatari relations and aims at enhancing bilateral military cooperation, especially during the global fight against the coronavirus, Petra added. Kubeissi said that this “generous initiative” of Qatar Emir Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al Thani to donate armored vehicles to JAF highlights the “cooperation and brotherly ties” between Doha and Amman.

The Qatari government has donated MRAPs vehicles from the company Stark Motors to a number of friendly countries in the Middle East and North Africa region. A total of 24 Storm light APC (Armored Personnel Carrier) vehicles to Mali in late 2018 and another 24 APCs to Burkino Faso the next year. Somalia’s military received 68 armored vehicles from the Gulf country.

The Nomad is 4x4 APC (Armored Personnel Carrier) in the category of MRAP (Mine Resistant Ambush Protected) vehicle manufactured by the Qatari Company Stark Motors. It provides blast protection up to STANAG 4569 Level 3 and ballistic protection up to STANAG 4569 Level 4.

The Nomad MRAP incorporates the design of a crew capsule with a V-shaped hull. The incorporation of such a design has enabled Nomad to survive an 8 kg land mine blast under the wheels and the body without any injuries.

The Nomad MRAP has a crew of three with a driver, commander at the front and a gunner position. The vehicle can carry 8 soldiers at the rear of the hull.

Nomad 4x4 APC in the category of MRAP Mine Resistant Ambush Protected vehicle (Picture source Stark Motors)

The Thunder is also a 4x4 APC (Armored Personnel Carrier) in the category of MRAP (Mine Resistant Ambush Protected) vehicle manufactured by the Qatari Company Stark Motors. It also incorporates the design of a crew capsule with a V-shaped hull. It has a crew of 2 including driver and commander located at the front of the vehicle and can carry 7 soldiers including a gunner.

Thunder 4x4 APC in the category of MRAP Mine Resistant Ambush Protected vehicle (Picture source Stark Motors)