Trumpeter 01541 American M1117 Guardian Armored Security Vehicle (ASV)

The M1117 is a modern American armored fighting vehicle. The first prototypes were made in 1997, and serial production started in 1999 and is still going on. The drive is provided by a single motor Cummins 6CTA8.3 260 hp. The armament of the vehicle consists of a single 40 mm Mk.19 automatic grenade launcher and two 12.7 and 7.62 mm machine guns.

The M1117 was originally developed as a private initiative by Textron Marine and Land Systems. The manufacturer based its general solutions on cars from the Cadillac Cage Commnado series. However, it made many improvements. First of all, he introduced a V-shaped fuselage tub, which increased protection against a mine explosion or the so-called fugasa. It also improved the car's armor and increased its mobility. The M1117 vehicle can also be transported by air by C-17 planes or CH-53E helicopters. Mass production started as early as 1999, but only after the experience gained from the operations in Afghanistan and Iraq, the US military force significantly increased the order for the M1117 vehicles, mainly for military police units. Apart from the USA, users of the M1117 vehicles are Afghanistan, Bulgaria, Iraq, Canada and Colombia.