Haïti fields 7 Canadian Roshel Senator armoured personnel carriers for counter gang operations.

Haiti received seven Canadian Roshel Senator MRAPs on Ram 5500 chassis, shown in an official Government of Haiti video as the first part of a 17-vehicle purchase for internal security. The fleet boosts protected mobility for patrols, escorts, and counter-gang operations in dense urban areas.

Haiti’s Armed Forces have begun fielding Canadian-built Roshel Senator MRAPs on the Ram 5500 chassis, with an official Government of Haiti video documenting the handover of seven vehicles as phase one of a 17-vehicle package for counter-gang missions, protected patrols, and convoy security in urban terrain. The announcement highlights a modular platform already in service with police and military users abroad, and the initial tranche gives Haitian units a measurable lift in survivability and mobility while the remainder of the order moves through delivery.
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Handover of seven Roshel Senator MRAPs to the Haitian Forces (Picture source: Government of Haiti)

The choice of the Senator in its recent iteration on a Ram 5500 chassis reflects a gradual, structured modernization of protected mobility. Compared with earlier series based on the Ford F-550, the move to the Ram 5500 provides a more robust powertrain and thermal margins useful in dense traffic. Roshel offers the Senator family in APC, MRAP, ERV, and Pickup variants, with a modular architecture designed for police, border guard, and military use. The technical sheet lists a 6.7-liter turbo-diesel engine, a ten-speed automatic transmission, a 4×4 drivetrain, 335/85 R20 tires, a 3,683 mm wheelbase, dimensions of approximately 6.0 × 2.4 × 2.5 m, and capacity for up to ten personnel in addition to the crew depending on configuration.

As a mine-resistant ambush-protected (MRAP) vehicle by design philosophy, the Senator uses a V-shaped hull to deflect blast effects and fragments away from the crew compartment, together with a reinforced floor and anti-mine seats. Roshel reports testing to STANAG 4569 AEP-55 Level 2a/2b for mine threats, supplemented by additional scenarios including a lateral blast equivalent to 25 kg of TNT and exposure to 155 mm shell fragments at 80 m, conducted by Oregon Ballistic Laboratories. For ballistic protection, the platform is described as capable of withstanding 7.62×39 mm API BZ at 30 m with an impact velocity of 695 m/s, while the armored cell keeps weight controlled through lightweight composite materials. These parameters place the Senator MRAP within a protection envelope consistent with threats encountered in high-friction neighborhoods where small arms, improvised explosive devices, and street-placed traps are prevalent.

Beyond armor, road holding and side-slope stability contribute directly to survivability. The Senator underwent dynamic measurements by the National Research Council Canada, which confirmed a static rollover threshold and roll responses consistent with best-in-class lateral slope performance, with the platform reaching 39° on both sides during testing. In the same vein, ergonomics were revised based on operational feedback, with additional side doors to speed loading and evacuation, enhanced thermal and acoustic management, and perimeter sensor options for driving in degraded visibility.

In addition, experience in Ukraine directly informs Haiti’s choice. Since 2022, the Senator has been used extensively at close contact, for convoy escort, casualty evacuation under fire, and as a mobile command post, with more than 1,400 units delivered by 2024 and a reported plateau at 1,700 units in 2025. Field feedback in Ukraine has driven updates in ergonomics, protection, and maintenance that appear on the current generation, while Roshel has initiated in-country industrial activity and service centers to sustain operational tempo. By adopting a fleet shaped by these recent wartime lessons, Haiti benefits from a tangible learning effect and an already proven support chain, which are important for sustained stabilization operations in dense urban terrain.

At the Caribbean scale, Haiti’s adoption of the Senator MRAP illustrates a convergence between stabilization requirements and North American offerings in protected mobility. The fleet, planned at seventeen units, targets route control, infrastructure security, and the reduction of illicit flows that weaken the state. Interfaces with external partners hinge as much on sustainment as on interoperability within the Common Operational Picture (COP) and Recognized Maritime Picture (RMP) frameworks and on emission control (EMCON) discipline, which are decisive for readable and sustainable combined operations.