Year of celebration: Defender celebrates one of the longest‑standing charity partnerships of its kind in the world – Land Rover’s 70‑year association with the British Red Cross
Proven provenance: Defender can trace its roots back to the first Series Land Rovers, which began working with the British Red Cross in 1954
Historical moment: Defender marks its anniversary with a new flagship project in Italy, where the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement was born 160 years ago
Emergency response: Defender is providing the Italian Red Cross with a specially equipped Defender 130 fitted with satellite communications equipment to build resilient communities, able to face environmental emergencies
Lasting impact: Combined humanitarian work of Defender and the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement has impacted more than two million lives in the past 70 years.
Defender will celebrate a landmark moment in its relationship with the British Red Cross as it marks 70 years of its humanitarian partnership – one of the longest‑standing charity partnerships of its kind in the world.
Defender can trace its roots back to the very first Series Land Rover, which made its world debut at the Amsterdam Motor Show in April 1948 and entered service with the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement in 1954. This year marks 70 years since that first vehicle – a specially adapted model used as a mobile dispensary – went into service in the deserts of Dubai.
Today, Defender’s commitment to supporting communities in crisis continues with the announcement of its latest flagship project, appropriately located in Italy, the birthplace of the world’s largest humanitarian organisation, 160 years ago.
During a celebration to mark the start of the Movement first envisioned 160 years ago, by founder Henry Dunant in Solferino, a specially equipped Defender 130 emergency response vehicle has been handed over to the Italian Red Cross. Fitted with advanced satellite communications hardware, the 130 will provide continuous, nationwide connection and access in some of the most hard‑to reach, disaster‑hit locations in the country.
The new vehicle has been modified with the support of Italian Red Cross specialists to handle extraordinary emergencies and will ensure the mobilisation of relief efforts is never compromised by cellular network outages – a common issue during environmental disasters, such as floods and mudslides.
The pioneering project incorporates the use of satellite technology through a dish mounted on the roof of the vehicle. The technology is already used in the static emergency units of the Italian Red Cross but will be deployed for the first time on a mobile unit via Defender 130 Outbound, which is ready to tackle the roughest terrain and most challenging conditions.
The vehicle will also be equipped with a winch and tow hook, allowing it to make full use of Defender 130 Outbound’s 3,000kg towing capacity.
DEFENDER MARKS 70 YEARS OF ITS LANDMARKDEFENDER MARKS 70 YEAR PARTNERSHIP WITH BRITISH RED CROSS
Defender works with the British Red Cross and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), helping vulnerable communities prepare for, respond to and recover from crises around the world. Across seven decades, the partnership is estimated to have positively impacted the lives of over two million people in more than 50 countries.
The long‑standing partnership between Defender and the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement shows what can be achieved when working together with a lasting commitment. So far, our partnership with the British Red Cross and IFRC has positively impacted more than two million lives around the world. What started in the deserts of Dubai and forest villages of Kenya in 1954 has become part of our DNA. Together, we provide vital assistance for humanity, often when the tarmac runs out and in the harshest of conditions. I hope we will still be helping those most in need for another seven decades
Mark Cameron
Managing Director, Defender
Defender will participate in a range of celebrations and fundraising initiatives this year to support the partnership and showcase its ongoing international work.
Powered by compassion
With communities facing disasters on top of threats such as food insecurity, conflict and climate change, the work of the partnership has never been more important. Defender is an active participant in six key international projects around the globe.
UK: Defender works alongside British Red Cross teams across the UK, including in North Wales where a specially adapted Defender 130 emergency response vehicle was donated last year to support communities disrupted by extreme weather. Defender also supports those affected by emergencies such as house fires and power cuts, funding volunteer training and essential supplies.
Nepal: Nepal is a global hotspot for natural disasters and Defender is helping communities across eight at‑risk regions with the Nepal Red Cross Society. The projects give vulnerable communities the knowledge and confidence to prepare for disasters, to increase their resilience and reduce the impact of emergencies. In two years, more than 15,000 households have been helped.
Italy: Search and rescue is part of Defender’s DNA. Defender funding helps to train hundreds of volunteers, provide essential provisions and arrange vital deployment drills and simulation exercises to enhance international search and rescue capabilities. This ensures Red Cross and Red Crescent personnel can deliver essential support at a moment's notice, wherever crisis strikes.
Australia: Defender supports community disaster resilience in New South Wales, where bushfires and floods threaten vulnerable populations. Supported by Defender, the Australian Red Cross is working in disaster‑prone areas to support the set‑up of community response teams that play a lead role in emergency management locally. This empowering approach has trained more than 4,000 people. Defenders are used nationwide to help the Australian Red Cross reach remote communities.
Switzerland: Since April 2023, Defender has supported the REDOG search and rescue organisation, part of the Swiss Red Cross, which focuses on the training of rapid deployment search dogs in Switzerland and beyond. Its funding has trained 400 team members – its operatives have deployed 23 dog teams in this time.
Morocco: Through its work with the IFRC, Defender is there when it’s needed most. It supports disaster and emergency relief efforts with vehicles which are currently deployed in Morocco in the aftermath of the 2023 earthquake – the deadliest to hit the country in the last 20 years.
DEFENDER MARKS 70 YEARS OF ITS LANDMARKDEFENDER MARKS 70 YEAR PARTNERSHIP WITH BRITISH RED CROSS
DEFENDER MARKS 70 YEARS OF ITS LANDMARKDEFENDER MARKS 70 YEAR PARTNERSHIP WITH BRITISH RED CROSS
DEFENDER MARKS 70 YEARS OF ITS LANDMARKDEFENDER MARKS 70 YEAR PARTNERSHIP WITH BRITISH RED CROSS
Here for humanity, together
Across seven decades, the support for the British Red Cross and IFRC has helped those affected by conflict and natural disasters the world over.
After the first mobile dispensary went into service in 1954, several Series I Land Rovers were dispatched to Kenya to support nurses with providing medical and welfare services to women and children in the forest villages of the Nyeri district.
In 1968, vehicles were sent to Nigeria to support the humanitarian efforts of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies during the Biafran Conflict.
While in 1977 Land Rovers distributed aid in the aftermath of the Andhra Pradesh cyclone in India.
Between 2008 and 2009, Defenders were involved in hurricane response operations in both the Turks and Caicos and the Cayman Islands. They also supported sanitation projects and training exercises in Tajikistan in 2015. This project alone educated more than 42,000 adults and 4,000 children in basic health and hygiene.
More recently, the relationship between the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement and Defender resulted in colleagues helping test the suitability of the latest model for humanitarian work. Fleet experts from the IFRC in Dubai took to the unforgiving desert sand and twisting tarmac of the Jebel Jais highway to evaluate the all‑terrain capability and on road composure of Defender prototypes in 2019.
Defender then played a key role during the Covid‑19 pandemic, with a fleet of 27 vehicles deployed with the British Red Cross to deliver medicine and food to vulnerable people across the UK. Globally a fleet of 267 Defenders supported the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies.
Further information
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Notes to Editors
About Defender
Defender embraces the impossible. Each member of the Defender family is purposefully designed, highly desirable and seriously durable. A modern‑day hero that respects the past but at the same time anticipates the future.
Available in 90, 110 and 130 body styles, with up to eight seats, each has a charisma of its own.
As part of a sustainability‑rich vision of modern luxury by design, Defender 110 is available as an electric hybrid.
Defender Hard Top means business, with 90 and 110 body styles for professional capability.
A beacon of liberty since 1948, Defender supports humanitarian and conservation work with the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies and the Tusk Trust.
The Defender brand is underpinned by Land Rover – a mark of trust built on 75 years of expertise in technology and world‑leading off‑road capability.
Defender is designed and engineered in the UK and sold in 121 countries. It belongs to the JLR house of brands alongside Range Rover, Discovery and Jaguar.
Important notice
JLR is constantly seeking ways to improve the specification, design and production of its vehicles, parts and accessories and alterations take place continually. Whilst every effort is made to produce up‑to‑date literature, this document should not be regarded as an infallible guide to current specifications or availability, nor does it constitute an offer for the sale of any particular vehicle, part or accessory. All figures are manufacturer’s estimates.
