DTI from Thailand conducts first firing tests with new D-Lion 4x4 armored vehicle


On its Facebook account the Thai Defense Technology Institute (DTI), announced that DTI has conducted firing tests with the new D-Lion 4x4 armored vehicle equipped with a Remotely Operated Weapon Station (ROWS) armed with one 12.7mm heavy machine gun.
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DTI from Thailand conducts firing tests with the new D-Lion 4x4 armored vehicle fitted with a 12.7mm Remotely Operated Weapon Station. (Picture source DTI)


The Defense Technology Institute (DTI) is a research and development agency operating as a public organization under the oversight of the Thai Ministry of Defense.

Citing information published by DTI on its Facebook account, DTI has conducted first test firing and training missions with a 12.7mm remotely operated weapon station mounted on the D-Lion, a 4x4 armored vehicle that will be jointly produced by Paramount Group, a South African defense company, and DTI from Thailand.

The test has been conducted a distance of 400 m against static and mobile targets with the vehicle in mobile and static conditions. All the test results were conducted according to the requirements for the development of new 4x4 MRAP (Mine Resistant Ambush Protected) vehicles for the Thai armed forces.

The D-Lion is a Thai development of the Mbombe 4, a new 4x4 armored vehicle fully designed and developed by the South African company Paramount Group. Mbombe 4 armored personnel carrier (APC) was officially launched during the International Defense Exhibition and Conference (IDEX) 2019 held in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (UAE) in February 2019.

During the Thai Defence & Security 2022 exhibition, which was held in Bangkok in August 2022, Paramount Group announced a partnership with the Defense Technology Institute (DTI), Thailand’s defense research and development (R&D) agency, and local partner Jatunapas, one of Thailand’s leading defense and security companies, to produce its advanced Infantry Combat Vehicle (ICV), the Mbombe 4, in Thailand under the name of D-Lion.

Manufactured with a distinct clean-sheet design, while equipped with the latest technologies mission-critical to address the challenges of the modern battlefield, the Mbombe 4 provides high degrees of both ballistic and mine protection (e.g., crew compartment STANAG 4569-Level 3, blast protection STANAG 4569-Level 4a & 4b, protections recognized under a NATO standardization agreement that institutes world-leading benchmarks for occupant security) alongside independently verified protections against a 50kg TNT side blast or roadside bomb.


DTI from Thailand conducts first firing tests with new D Lion 4x4 armored vehicle 925 002
The D-Lion is fitted with a remotely operated weapon station armed with one 12.7mm heavy machine gun. (Picture source DTI)