At the Egypt Defence Expo (EDEX) 2025, Eagles International for Defense Systems (EIFDS) unveiled an arresting adaptation of its Rhino Guard GXR-BR7 armored personnel carrier (APC)—a fully caged variant enveloped in anti-drone mesh. The vehicle, based on a Toyota Land Cruiser 300 chassis, appeared entirely surrounded by a standoff grid shield, including the roof, sides, turret opening, windows, radiator area, and external fixtures. The design reflects a fast-growing trend observed across contemporary battlefields, particularly in Ukraine, where improvised cages and spaced armor have become essential countermeasures against first-person-view (FPV) drones and small loitering munitions.
The Rhino Guard GXR-BR7 is a light APC featuring an open-top rotary turret designed for a 7.62 mm PKT machine gun, with the ability to mount a 12.7×108 mm DShK heavy machine gun using the same turret ring. It retains a five-door layout, two front crew positions, and two anti-blast seats in the rear. Firing ports are integrated along the sides, rear, and the bullet-resistant windscreen, allowing occupants to engage threats from within the armored capsule. During EDEX, the anti-drone mesh encircled every vulnerable angle of approach—especially those exploited by FPV drones, which often descend steeply onto roofs or approach at shallow oblique paths.
EIFDS equipped the vehicle with a suite of situational-awareness enhancements, including rear, front, and internal cameras linked to a 10-inch LCD display. Standard features include a military-grade dashboard unit, an electric 12,000 lb winch, LED flashers, strobe lights, search lights, heavy-duty bumpers, and fuel-tank protection.
The Rhino Guard GXR-BR7 adheres to European CEN 1522/23 and CEN 1063 ballistic standards, providing FB7 protection for opaque panels and BR7 protection for transparent areas. These ratings confirm resistance against 7.62×51 mm NATO ball at approximately 830 m/s, multiple armor-piercing projectiles at varied angles, and an array of intermediate-caliber threats including 5.56×45 mm SS109, 5.45×39 mm Kalashnikov rounds, and 7.62×39 mm soft-core ammunition.
The transparent armor is also tested to withstand 7.62×39 mm AK-47 impact, 5.45×39.5 mm armor-piercing rounds, and 5.56×45 mm SS109 fired from M16A2 platforms. These glass panels are secured within ballistic steel frames, reducing the risk of angled penetrations—a key vulnerability identified in modern armored glass failures.
Blast protection is reinforced to survive the simultaneous detonation of two DM51 grenades above or below the hull, two HG85 fragmentation grenades under the crew seats, and two DM31 anti-personnel mines beneath the same positions. The floor incorporates a 4.5 mm 400 BRN steel blast plate welded continuously to maintain structural integrity. The radiator is shielded behind a B7-rated grille, and additional cooling fans are installed to prevent overheating—a frequent issue in armored and mesh-enclosed vehicles.
EIFDS emphasizes that the GXR-BR7 uses a fully self-supporting armored structure replacing the original Land Cruiser bodywork. The single-piece protective cell ensures structural strength and consistent ballistic performance. Reinforced pillars transfer the weight of the armor-clad doors into strengthened segments, while the factory hinges are replaced with heavy-duty engineered hinges connected armor-to-armor. Overlapping ballistic seams and heat-controlled welding techniques are employed to preserve protective integrity across joints.
Given the added weight from armor and anti-drone mesh, the APC incorporates a reinforced suspension system featuring upgraded springs, shocks, and steering dampers sourced from premium Australian and German manufacturers. The platform is compatible with both diesel and petrol engines in 4.0 L or 4.5 L configurations, paired with a six-speed automatic transmission. Run-flat tires allow continued travel for up to 50 km at speeds near 80 km/h after puncture or total air loss.
The EDEX-displayed variant included multiple gun ports, 2+2 anti-blast seating, run-flat wheels, jerry cans, a heavy-duty jack, tools, fire extinguisher, PA system, side and rear steps, upgraded battery systems, and dedicated cargo space. Cameras on multiple axes provide 360-degree awareness in situations where armor or mesh obstructs visibility.
Turret equipment comprises a 360-degree ring mount compatible with various machine guns and a roof escape hatch. Optional upgrades include remote weapon stations, alternate seating arrangements, Hutchinson 16×8 split rim wheels, multi-band communications (VHF, UHF, SATCOM), RF jammers, surveillance recorders, and supplemental blast protection packages.
The anti-drone cage showcased at EDEX closely resembles battlefield modifications seen across Ukraine since 2022, where metal grids, lattices, and nets have been deployed on tanks and APCs to disrupt or prematurely detonate drone-delivered munitions. Similar protective structures have since appeared on Challenger 2, M1 Abrams, Leopard 2 and PT-91 tanks, M109A4 howitzers, Israeli Merkava Barak tanks, and Japanese Type 90 and Type 10 tanks. Some militaries have extended this concept to fixed sites, including encampments, airfields, roads, and even a Russian Delta IV-class submarine in 2024.
Although cage armor can hinder crew visibility, reduce mobility, and complicate evacuation, its effectiveness against FPV drones has made it increasingly mainstream. The full-coverage cage on the GXR-BR7 suggests that the shift from improvised battlefield engineering to factory-integrated counter-drone solutions is now firmly underway.
At EDEX 2025, EIFDS presented the Rhino Guard GXR-BR7 not merely as an armored personnel carrier, but as an evolutionary response to a battlefield transformed by drones—and a sign of where armored vehicle development is headed next.
