Additional Armored Buffalo mine-protected vehicles for US Marines

, LADSON, S.C: Force Protection, Inc. today announced that it has received a delivery order from the U.S. Marine Corps for an additional 19 Buffalo mine-protected vehicles worth an estimated $16.2 million. 
 
Under a November 2006 contract award administered by the Marine Corps Systems Command, Force Protection expects to deliver the 19 Buffalo vehicles by December 2007. 
 
“We are pleased and honored to continue to meet the needs of the war fighter,” said Force Protection COO Raymond Pollard. “We are also pleased to note that while extensive ramp-up efforts move forward on the production of the Cougar vehicle series, our Buffalo line remains a vibrant and crucial component of our manufacturing efforts.” 
 
The Buffalo was initially deployed in the war on terror in 2003, being used to detect and remove thousands of suspected explosive threats by military engineers who credit the vehicle with saving lives. The Buffalo's unmatched performance for troop safety and sustainability in the field has also made it the sole source vehicle for the Marine's Mine Resistant Ambush Protected vehicle program Category III requirement.  
 
Force Protection, Inc. manufactures ballistic- and mine-protected vehicles through its wholly owned subsidiary. These specialty vehicles are protected against landmines, hostile fire, and Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs, commonly referred to as roadside bombs). Force Protection's mine and ballistic protection technology is among the most advanced in the world. The vehicles are manufactured outside Charleston, S.C.