"The Technical is the most significant symbol of power in southern Somalia. It is a small truck with large tripod machine guns mounted on the back. A warlord's power is measured by how many of these vehicles he has."
- Article describing the usage of commercial vehicles as a means of combating traditional military firepower

A technical, in professional military parlance often called a non-standard tactical vehicle (NSTV), is a light improvised fighting vehicle, typically an open-backed civilian pickup truck or four-wheel drive vehicle mounting a machine gun, anti-aircraft gun, rotary cannon, anti-tank weapon, anti-tank gun, ATGM, mortar, multiple rocket launcher, recoilless rifle or other support weapon, somewhat like a light military gun truck or potentially even a self-propelled gun.

The neologism technical describing such a vehicle is believed to have originated in Somalia during the Somali Civil War in the early 1990s. Barred from bringing in private security, non-governmental organizations hired local gunmen to protect their personnel, using money defined as "technical assistance grants". Eventually the term broadened to include any vehicle carrying armed men. However, an alternative account is given by Michael Maren, who says the term was first used in Somalia in the 1980s, after engineers from Russian arms manufacturer Tekniko mounted weapons on vehicles for the Somali National Movement. Technicals have also been referred to as battlewagons, gunwagons, or gunships.

Among irregular armies, often centered on the perceived strength and charisma of warlords, the prestige of technicals is strong. According to one article, "The Technical is the most significant symbol of power in southern Somalia. It is a small truck with large tripod machine guns mounted on the back. A warlord's power is measured by how many of these vehicles he has." Technicals are not commonly used by well-funded armies that are able to procure purpose-built combat vehicles, because the soft-skinned civilian vehicles that technicals are based on do not offer much protection to crew and passengers.

Technicals fill the niche of traditional light cavalry. Their major asset is speed and mobility, as well as their ability to strike from unexpected directions with automatic fire and light troop deployment. Further, the reliability of vehicles such as the Toyota Hilux is useful for forces that lack the repair-related infrastructure of a conventional army. However, in direct engagements they are no match for heavier vehicles, such as tanks or other armored fighting vehicles.

Pictured here is a 1:72 scale replica of an ISIS-operated pickup truck that has been augmented with a ZPU-2 machine gun. Figures not included. Pre-order! Ship Date: 2023.

Dimensions:
Length: 5-1/4-inches
Width: 1-3/4-inches

Release Date: ?

Historical Account: "Daesh" - The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL; /ˈaɪsəl, ˈaɪsɪl/), also known as the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria officially known as the Islamic State (IS) and also known by its Arabic acronym Daesh is a former unrecognized proto-state that follows a Salafi jihadist doctrine. ISIL was founded by Abu Musab al-Zarqawi and gained global prominence in 2014 when it drove Iraqi security forces out of key cities in its Western Iraq offensive, followed by its capture of Mosul and the Sinjar massacre.

The group has been designated as a terrorist organisation by the United Nations. ISIL is known for its videos of beheadings and other types of executions[94] of both soldiers and civilians, including journalists and aid workers, and its destruction of cultural heritage sites. The United Nations holds ISIL responsible for committing human rights abuses, genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity. The Islamic State committed genocide and ethnic cleansing on a historic scale in northern Iraq.