Look: Inside UAE National Guard's New All-In-One Rescue Truck 'Al Toud' Built For Disaster Zones

A single rescue vehicle designed to replace an entire convoy of heavy equipment was unveiled by the UAE National Guard at ISNR Abu Dhabi this week, offering a glimpse into how Emirati rescue teams are preparing for increasingly complex disaster missions around the world.

Named 'Al Toud', which is Arabic for a steadfast mountain, the newly launched heavy search-and-rescue vehicle combines seven separate rescue systems into one deployable unit that can be flown overseas within hours of an earthquake, flood or building collapse.

At the National Guard stand, rescue personnel described how previous international deployments required transporting multiple vehicles and specialised equipment separately. With Al Toud, they said, teams can now carry almost everything needed for complex urban rescue operations in a single platform.

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“This one replaces the convoy,” one rescuer explained while demonstrating the vehicle's systems.“Before, we needed several specialised vehicles. Now the heavy rescue equipment is integrated into one.”

The 18-tonne MAN Rosenbauer vehicle was designed primarily for humanitarian and disaster-response missions rather than military operations, officials said. According to specifications displayed at the stand, it features a 340-horsepower engine, a front winch capable of pulling eight tonnes over 30 metres, and a rear crane that can lift three tonnes to a height of 14 metres.

Mounted across the vehicle are tools for breaking through concrete, cutting vehicle frames during road accidents, pumping floodwater out of collapsed structures, and powering rescue operations around the clock.

One rescuer pointed to a large water pump onboard, explaining how burst pipes and flooding inside collapsed buildings can become a major obstacle after earthquakes.“If the building is flooded, rescuers can't move safely through the rubble,” she said.“So, this machine pumps the water out first to make access possible.”

The vehicle is also fitted with multiple battery and power systems designed to keep lights, communications and rescue tools running continuously for up to 24 hours without interruption. Inside the cabin are digital operation-management screens, GPS tracking systems, and remote-control capabilities allowing crews to operate equipment from a safer distance.

But among the most striking tools demonstrated at the stand was a compact seismic-acoustic detection system used to locate survivors trapped beneath rubble. The DELSAR life-detection system can detect vibrations, faint movement, breathing and even tapping sounds beneath collapsed concrete slabs. Rescue workers place sensors on the surface of debris and monitor rising signal levels on a screen.

“When the readings increase, we know there may be someone underneath,” one team member explained.“It means we're not wasting time or risking rescuers entering unstable areas without knowing there's a survivor there.” The device was deployed during the UAE's earthquake response mission in Morocco in 2023 and has since become a critical part of the team's rescue operations, she added.

Rescue personnel speaking at the exhibition also recalled the emotional difficulty of working inside disaster zones overseas, particularly the smell that lingers around collapsed structures where victims remain trapped beneath debris.“You can adapt to rain, mud and difficult conditions,” one rescuer said.“But the smell is something else entirely. Even with masks and filters, it stays with you.”

The National Guard's search-and-rescue teams have been increasingly active in international disaster zones in recent years, including earthquake missions in Morocco and Myanmar, as well as response operations inside the UAE in 2024 and earlier this year. In the first quarter of 2025 alone, the National Guard conducted 168 search-and-rescue operations on land and sea, both domestically and abroad.

Another crowd-pulling platform at ISNR was a heavily upgraded GMC mobile surveillance vehicle nicknamed“I Miss You”, developed by Emirati teams and designed for remote terrain where traditional watchtowers may not function. The vehicle carries a six-metre extendable mast equipped with radar and thermal day-and-night cameras capable of detecting humans, vehicles and animals from kilometres away. Operators demonstrated how the system can automatically track movement, calculate direction and distance, and display targets live on a digital map.

The surveillance unit was built for mountainous areas, valleys and remote terrain, and can also serve as a replacement when fixed surveillance towers fail.

Officials said the system has been continuously upgraded since its original deployment in 2004, with newer electric-powered systems and modular components allowing the entire rear surveillance cabin to be transferred onto another vehicle if the main truck breaks down. Designed for long deployments in isolated areas, the unit can operate continuously for up to eight days using batteries and onboard generators, and potentially far longer with continued refuelling.

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