Reuters armoured 130 press vehicle

History

In 1990, with correspondents heading into the Gulf War and other conflict zones, Reuters commissioned three special-build armoured vehicles on the Land Rover One Thirty chassis. Doors, windows and body were all armoured — replacing the reinforced glass alone cost around £8,000 — and the occupants got five-point safety harnesses and uprated air conditioning for long deployments. Power came from the 3.5-litre petrol V8 through a 5-speed manual gearbox, hauling the considerable extra weight of the protection. The vehicles went on to serve news crews covering the war-ravaged Balkans and the Middle East.

One of the trio became internationally known on 26 August 2006, when it was hit near the Karni Crossing in the Gaza Strip by a rocket fired from an Israeli helicopter while operating as a clearly marked press vehicle. The projectile came through the roof above the front passenger seat, punched a hole in the floor and lodged in the gearbox; Reuters cameraman Fadel Shana and local journalist Sabbah Hmaida were injured, and Reuters lodged an official complaint with the Israeli authorities. (Shana survived, only to be killed by Israeli tank fire in Gaza in April 2008.) The wrecked Land Rover, still carrying its press markings and battle scars, is displayed in the atrium of the Imperial War Museum, London.

The Heritage Collection's example, G989 VUE (chassis SALLDHAV7FA449135), is believed to be the only one of the three left in driving order, and is maintained fully operational and roadworthy.

Imagery

Registry record

Manufacturer

Land Rover

Manufactured

1990–1990

Engine type

3.5 L petrol V8

Production run

3 vehicles commissioned

Current owner

Land Rover Heritage Collection ↗

Country of origin

United Kingdom

Status

preserved (one running survivor; the Gaza vehicle displayed as damaged at IWM London)

Catalogue data

Record kind

Named model

Model line

Defender

Wheels

4

Base catalogue fields are exported from the Difflocked game. In-game physics values are arcade tuning, not certified historical measurements, and are deliberately not shown as specifications here.

Sources & citations

Researched sources

• Reuters Armoured Land Rover (WOR 05: 1990 One-Thirty special build G989 VUE, one of three; sister vehicle hit in Gaza 2006 and displayed at IWM) ↗ — Land Rover Heritage Collection (accessed 2026-09-10)
• Reuters Armoured Land Rover (museum object record) ↗ — Imperial War Museums (accessed 2026-09-10)
• Fadel Shana survived this, died in another attack (26 August 2006 rocket strike near the Karni Crossing; Shana and Sabbah Hmaida injured) ↗ — The Baron (Reuters alumni) (accessed 2026-09-10)
• Reuters Land Rover (photographs of the IWM exhibit) ↗ — 447bg.org - Preserving our History (accessed 2026-09-10)

Catalogue references

• https://www.lrheritagecollection.org.uk/the-collection/vehicles/wor-05 https://www.lrheritagecollection.org.uk/the-collection/vehicles/wor-05 ↗

Development reference notes

• Reuters armoured 130 press vehicle · HERITAGE-FLEET-REFERENCES.md

  Long enclosed body; thick glazing; armoured doors; press markings. Reference: https://www.lrheritagecollection.org.uk/the-collection/vehicles/wor-05