Runner APV

History

As the threat escalated during the Troubles, ballistic steel plating and armoured rear doors were added, and in the late 1970s the Ulster Police produced the Hardshell — named after the type of armour plate used — in bulk on Gen 3 chassis. The more sophisticated Leonis followed in the early 1980s, but it proved slow to produce, leaving a gap as the Hardshell fleet wore out. Protection also included hardened side plating, a bulletproof windscreen, fire-suppression equipment and polycarbonate side skirts. Because armoured police vehicles are usually decommissioned rather than sold, Tangis are rare in civilian hands, but preserved examples exist.