©️picture : Listín Diario
San Cristóbal, 15 January 2026.- On Thursday, 15 January, the Dominican government presented FURIA, the first armoured military vehicle assembled in the Dominican Republic. Designed to strengthen national security, particularly at the border with Haiti, this armoured vehicle marks a strategic step in the development of the national military industry and the operational empowerment of the Armed Forces.
Presented in San Cristóbal before President Luis Abinader, the VBD-1 (Vehículo Blindado Dominicano), named FURIA for Fuerza Unificada de Respuesta Inmediata Armada, is assembled by Dominican technicians. The Head of State stressed that these vehicles enhance the response capacity of the Armed Forces throughout the country. The country already has 39 armoured vehicles, and 20 additional units of FURIA are currently being assembled.
According to the Minister of Defence, Lieutenant-General Carlos Fernández Onofre, the cost of an equivalent vehicle on the international market is around US$400,000, while the local assembly allows a reduction of about 50%, generating substantial savings for the state. The project relies on locally trained skills (ITLA, Loyola) with international assistance. Four Latin American countries have already shown interest in acquiring the model.
Technically, the VBD-1 is an all-terrain vehicle capable of carrying 11 soldiers, mounted on a Ford Super Duty F-250 chassis. It has a level 3 shielding of ammunition-resistant windows up to 7.62 mm, runflat tires, 360° turret, perimetric cameras, GPS and advanced tactical equipment. The authorities are already announcing the extension of the range with the VBD-2 and VBD-3 models, confirming the Dominican ambition to sustainably enhance its large-scale security.
W.A.
