Chilean Deputy Minister of Interior and Public Security asked the Local Government (Gore) Biobío to finance the acquisition of the ARQUUS Bastion 4×4 Armoured Personnel Carriers (APC) and France, according to Spanish Defence website InfoDefensa publication on 14 July 2022. The acquisition budget is US$2.3 million.
The purchase of the Bastion armoured vehicle will strengthen the Biobío region Police force. The Biobío Region is bordered to the west by the Pacific Ocean, to the east by Argentina, to the north by the Uble Region in Chile, and to the south by the Araucanía Region in Chile.
The vehicle offers ballistic protection against 5.56 mm and 7.62 mm small arms fire and artillery munition fragments. Bastion also integrates a V-shaped monocoque hull, increasing survivability against landmines explosions or IEDs (improvised explosive devices). For combat, on the roof, the Bastion can be equipped with a turret armed with a single 12.7 mm machine gun or a 40 mm automatic grenade launcher.The Bastion APC is a 44-tonne armoured personnel carrier vehicle manufactured by ACMAT, a subsidiary of ARQUUS, formerly Renault Trucks Defence. The vehicle was unveiled in June 2010 at the Eurosatory defence exhibition in France. Many African countries are now using the vehicle in various configurations.
