Toyota’s four-wheel drive began as a military tender: the 1951 Toyota Jeep BJ was built for the National Police Reserve, the forerunner of the Japan Self-Defense Forces, which chose Mitsubishi’s licence-built Willys instead. The BJ went to police and utilities, and the Land Cruiser found its military buyers abroad: the 40 Series with the armies of Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand, Pakistan, Iran and much of Latin America, often assembled locally.
The 70 Series has been the military Land Cruiser since 1984. The Australian Army bought it in quantity from the late 1980s and again with the 2008 Project Overlander order; armies, gendarmeries and police forces from Morocco to Kenya and across the Gulf run 76, 78 and 79 Series vehicles, and the United Nations and the African Union deploy them in peacekeeping. The Hilux and 70 Series pick-ups with a mounted heavy weapon — the “technical” — were the vehicles of the 1987 Chadian–Libyan war and of irregular forces since.
Toyota Jeep BJ and the police (1951–1960)
1 VEHICLE IN THIS CHAPTERThe BJ lost the 1951 National Police Reserve order to Mitsubishi but sold to the National Safety Force, the National Police Agency, the Forestry Agency and utilities; the 20 Series continued the police and public-service sales in Japan.
Registry records · chapter 1
40 Series with allied armies (1960–1984)
2 VEHICLES IN THIS CHAPTERThe FJ40, FJ45 and BJ40 served the armies and police of Indonesia, Thailand, the Philippines, Iran, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Venezuela and Brazil, and the Australian Army’s Snowy Mountains hydro-electric fleet was the model’s first large government order abroad.
Registry records · chapter 2
70 Series: Australian Army, the Gulf and Africa (1984–today)
3 VEHICLES IN THIS CHAPTERThe Australian Army’s 4x4 and 6x6 70 Series, the Overlander fleet of 2008–12, and the gendarmerie, army and police fleets of the Middle East and Africa; the UN’s white 76 and 78 Series in every peacekeeping mission. Armoured conversions of the 76, 79, 200 and Prado by Toyota-approved and independent builders serve embassies, NGOs and militaries.
Registry records · chapter 3
Hilux and the technical (1987–today)
2 VEHICLES IN THIS CHAPTERThe Hilux and 70 Series pick-ups with a mounted heavy machine gun or recoilless rifle: Chad’s “Toyota War” of 1987 against Libya, then Somalia, Afghanistan, Libya, Syria and the Sahel. Toyota has no part in the conversions and has investigated the supply chains that reach irregular forces.
Registry records · chapter 4
Sources
- Toyota Land Cruiser — Wikipedia
- Toyota Land Cruiser (J70) — Wikipedia
- Technical (vehicle) — Wikipedia
- Toyota War — Wikipedia