The Dutch deployment in Mali focused primarily on gathering intelligence. This intelligence was collected by Dutch Special Forces and intelligence personnel, supported by Apache and Chinook helicopters. Troops from the Commando Corps and the Marine Corps operated in three teams and formed the operational core in the field. They had access to a range of vehicles, including:
- Lightly armoured Bushmasters
- Mercedes Benz tactical wheeled vehicles
- Fennek tactical wheeled reconnaissance vehicles
- ATV quad bikes
11D Protector was called to action to protect the ATV quad bikes, which were suffering from frequent tyre punctures. After two days of extensive testing in the Netherlands, 11D Protector was ordered and deployed in Mali, where it is currently in use.
Besides the operational example mentioned above, 11D Protector also offers significant benefits in logistics and supply operations when applied to transport and supply trucks. An extreme demonstration took place last year, when a Paris Dakar racing truck equipped with 11D Protector drove over a nail bed containing more than 1300 nails.
1300 Nails? Not a Problem
Tyre sealants are often tested using a single nail. To showcase the superior sealing capability of 11D Protector, the truck was driven over a nail bed where each front tyre was punctured over 200 times simultaneously.
After the remains of the nail bed were removed, the truck was driven over the same track several more times before being parked in the garage.
“We never expected to see this result. The truck handled incredibly well, and we used punctured tyres to begin with. After leaving it in the garage for three days, we returned to find the tyres perfectly inflated and ready to go.”
– Marc de Leeuw, Leeuw Rallysport
