NAMED MODELSpecial · Utility & HeavyUnited Kingdom
Reuters armoured 130 press vehicle.
One of three armoured Land Rover One Thirty 'special builds' commissioned in 1990 for Reuters war correspondents. The running survivor (G989 VUE) is with the Land Rover Heritage Collection; a sister vehicle, hit by an Israeli rocket in Gaza in 2006 while clearly marked as press, is displayed at the Imperial War Museum, London.
In 1990, with correspondents heading into the Gulf War and other conflict zones, Reuters commissioned three special-build armoured vehicles on the Land Rover One Thirty chassis. Doors, windows and body were all armoured — replacing the reinforced glass alone cost around £8,000 — and the occupants got five-point safety harnesses and uprated air conditioning for long deployments. Power came from the 3.5-litre petrol V8 through a 5-speed manual gearbox, hauling the considerable extra weight of the protection. The vehicles went on to serve news crews covering the war-ravaged Balkans and the Middle East.
One of the trio became internationally known on 26 August 2006, when it was hit near the Karni Crossing in the Gaza Strip by a rocket fired from an Israeli helicopter while operating as a clearly marked press vehicle. The projectile came through the roof above the front passenger seat, punched a hole in the floor and lodged in the gearbox; Reuters cameraman Fadel Shana and local journalist Sabbah Hmaida were injured, and Reuters lodged an official complaint with the Israeli authorities. (Shana survived, only to be killed by Israeli tank fire in Gaza in April 2008.) The wrecked Land Rover, still carrying its press markings and battle scars, is displayed in the atrium of the Imperial War Museum, London.
The Heritage Collection's example, G989 VUE (chassis SALLDHAV7FA449135), is believed to be the only one of the three left in driving order, and is maintained fully operational and roadworthy.
STATUSpreserved (one running survivor; the Gaza vehicle displayed as damaged at IWM London)
RECORD KINDNamed model
MODEL LINEDefender
WHEELS4
CATEGORYSpecial · Utility & Heavy
Catalogue fields describe the vehicle's structure and body as this registry records it. They are not certified factory measurements, and no performance figures are published here.
Renders & references
Front three-quarterRegistry renderThree-quarterRegistry renderSideRegistry renderRearRegistry renderFrontRegistry renderThe Reuters armoured Land Rover damaged by an Israeli rocket in Gaza in 2006, on display at the Imperial War Museum, LondonMx. Granger · CC0 ↗
Where it was
GB United Kingdom1990–2026 · Reuters war correspondents; Heritage CollectionPS Palestine2000–2008 · Gaza bureau vehicle, hit 2006
LostGaza — sister vehicle hit by an Israeli rocket, 2006Palestine · 200631.47, 34.40
PreservedImperial War Museum, London (damaged Gaza vehicle)United Kingdom51.50, -0.11