January 21, 2011: Kuwait recently received the first production models of its new Desert Chameleon 6x6 armored vehicle. What's unusual about the Desert Chameleon is that the Ministry of Interior (police and border guards) partnered with a small American firm (ADVS) to design and build a new vehicle. Thus rather than buy one of the many similar vehicles already out there, Kuwait went from idea to production in three years. The Desert Chameleon is a 20 ton class vehicle with a removable V shaped bottom (for protection from mines and bombs), a remote control 30mm autocannon and three doors (two near the front and a rear ramp). There is a crew of three and room for seven passengers. The Desert Chameleon can withstand fire from heavy machine-guns (up to 14.5mm), and is fitted to accept a few tons of additional armor.
Since the Desert Chameleon is an entirely new design, it's unknown how well it performs. Most new vehicles have some problems, and a new design from a new company could have a lot of problems. Moreover, Kuwait has not mentioned how much it is paying for each Desert Chameleon.
