Since we first learned of the newest wrinkle in the Mexican drug cartel wars, the so called “narco-tanks”, we’ve been poking and prodding the interwebs for more info. Surely, the couple that have been confiscated are just the tip of the iceberg, right? The answer to that question is yes, especially after learning of a government raid on what can only be described as a narco-tank factory and their seizure of the biggest armored behometh seen yet!
MSD Ignition’s Jesus Nava tipped us off to this latest news in the on-going conflict. The Mexican government raided the town of Camargo, and specifically a metalworking shop that they believed was tied into the drug cartels. Upon smashing their way in and finding the place devoid of people, the Mexican troops found two completed armored trucks and more than 20 others under construction! This place was, in essence, a tank factory.
The vehicles had one inch steel plate welded around the outsides of the trucks as armor. They were also equipped with gun ports and fixed turrets to shoot from. The one pictured below shows that these dudes still haven’t fully embraced protecting the tires, which seems like a major league design flaw to us. We have no idea how heavy the tank pictured below is, but if that whole thing is covered in one-inch thick plate, it must be titanically heavy. We’re thinking it is on an International medium chassis or some other variant.
Scary stuff, but even scarier when you consider that a whole brigade of these monsters was under construction!
Thanks for the tip Jesus!
(Mexican troops raid metal shop and find narco-tanks)
You already mentioned the tires. I’m kinda curious how some National Guard artillery would do against a fleet of those.
how many high quality mexican cars have you seen?
Jesus christ! one inch thick steel plate will stop just about anything. Most small arms will get stopped by less than half an inch.
The drive tires look possibly like forklift tires, so they be solid or gel filled. The steers could easily be gel filled also, so shooting them wouldn’t do anything.
Last year the border town of Tijuana with approx 1 million people had over 1500 murders, Los Angeles with 13 million had less than 200.
Jesus christ! one inch thick steel plate will stop just about anything. Most small arms will get stopped by less than half an inch.
FIRST
More armor than my truck in Iraq. I had 5/8 aluminum with 3/16 steel under that.
Yet another escalation brought to us courtesy of the War On *some* Drugs. Huzzah!