- The INEOS Grenadier SUV will be sent to Kosovo for land-mine-clearing work with the weapons-disposal charity Halo Trust in a testing phase.
- The automaker intends to build special Grenadiers for demining work once production starts. They’ll be equipped with floor armor and other equipment.
- The new SUV has been conducting trials this year all over the world in all climates.
The INEOS Grenadier is inching its way to production, and even in its development period there are plans underway to push it to perform lifesaving work in some of the world’s most dangerous environments. Ineos has indicated this week that for the past two years it has been working with the HALO Trust—the largest land-mine clearance and weapons disposal charity organization in the world—to develop the new SUV, with plans to deploy custom Grenadier models for mine-clearing work in conflict-torn and postwar countries worldwide.
The HALO Trust currently conducts operations in 25 nations, working on land-mine-seeded areas from conflicts that ended decades ago or have yet to end, often working in hard-to-reach locations far from roads. Ineos had joined an active HALO team in Angola in 2020, witnessing first hand the conditions under which mine-clearing work was being conducted in a region where mine-clearing operations have been going on for decades. HALO itself has been working in Angola for 27 years, with its existing fleet of vehicles working in some of the toughest terrain in the world.
The group is also working in Afghanistan, where war never really ended, and where 26 members of the organization’s team were injured or killed earlier this month in an attack on a demining camp.
“From mountain tracks to urban battlefields, HALO goes further to find and destroy landmines,” said James Cowan, CEO of the HALO Trust. “This means that we need a vehicle fleet fit for war zones, rainforests, and deserts. Our 9000 deminers are some of the most resilient people on the planet—they need a vehicle they can rely on to keep them safe and get the job done. We want to share our experiences with INEOS to help build an off-roader ready for the challenges of the 21st century.”
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However, its worldwide fleet is composed of just 600 vehicles at the moment.
INEOS plans to develop a fleet of custom Grenadier vehicles for mine-clearing operations once production starts, aiming to equip them with anchor points for armored floor plates and storage space for mine-clearing tools. INEOS also plans to equip the vehicles to be easily converted into ambulances in case of injuries during mine-clearing operations.
At the moment, more than 130 second-phase Grenadier prototypes are undergoing testing around the world, as part of a program to collectively cover 1.1 million miles. Even the company’s prototypes plan to join HALO operations in Kosovo to assess road capabilities and repair operations in the field, among other qualities.
“I hugely admire the HALO Trust’s mission and the dedication of the HALO team. It is a real privilege to work with them,” said Dirk Heilmann, CEO of INEOS Automotive. “With decades of experience running a large number of vehicles in extreme conditions, we could think of no better organization on Earth for helping us to develop Grenadier. All the knowledge and insight HALO is sharing with us is incredibly valuable to the engineering program, and will ultimately help us create the toughest, most capable vehicle for all users.”
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