The Ford Ranger Super Duty has launched in Australia, with engineers from the company’s local office designing and engineering the vehicle for a variety of industries and fleets.
But while Ford is specifically focused on industries such as mining, forestry, firefighting and agribusiness, the Ranger Super Duty could also be used in other areas.
Tactical branches of state law enforcement agencies, such as the Victoria Police’s Special Operations Group (SOG) and the NSW Police Force’s Tactical Operations Unit (TOU), still use the Toyota LandCruiser 200 Series as their primary vehicles – but the Ranger Super Duty could now offer a viable alternative.
Units like the SOG and the TOU – colloquially referred to as SWAT – often must transport at least four officers to a location along with significant amounts of equipment.
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While Victoria Police declined to comment for this story, citing the covert nature of the Special Operations Group, it is understood other departments – such as the Public Order Response Team and the Critical Incident Response Team – already use standard Ford Ranger vehicles as emergency vehicles.
Thanks to artist Theottle, we’ve imagined what the Ranger Super Duty could look like as a public order and riot vehicle for the NSW Police Force (above).
Although the possibility of using the Ranger Super Duty for tactical operations remained secret, it was clear that the issue had been discussed within the walls of Ford’s Australian headquarters.
“The Ranger Super Duty comes to market after extensive customer feedback from heavy-duty fleet operators identified a gap in the market for a vehicle that meets their needs without compromise,” a Ford spokesman said Daily Sparkz.
“Customers told us they wanted the size, reliability, safety and agility of Ranger with the heavy-duty capability of Super Duty. The result was a new mid-size truck designed right from the factory to handle extreme conditions and demanding workloads.”
Theottle’s digital illustration above also imagines the Ranger Super Duty with Victoria’s wildfire management – one of the roles it was specifically designed for.
Given that the Australian Defense Force’s contract with Mercedes-Benz to supply and service the G-Class Professional is expected to be up for review in 2030, it’s not out of the question that Ford could consider the Ranger Super Duty – assuming the Blue Oval is prepared for a contract term of up to two decades.
“The Ford Ranger Super Duty has been designed with a diverse customer base and use case in mind,” a Ford Australia spokesperson said Daily Sparkz.
“If the defense and security sector sees an advantage in its increased payload, towing capacity and off-road capability, we would be happy to work with them. However, we have no concrete news to announce in this area.”
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