Additional Light Armored Vehicles for Iraq, Yemen

Force Protection, LADSON, S.C.: Leading armored vehicle manufacturer Force Protection, Inc. today announced that it has received a purchase order from BAE Systems for an additional 45 Iraq Light Armored Vehicles (ILAV). In addition to Iraq, approximately 18 of these vehicles are bound for Yemen. 
 
The order is worth an estimated $3.5 million and will be completed by February 2008. 
 
The combined enterprise of Force Protection and BAE Systems previously received awards totaling $180 million in 2006 to build 398 4×4 ILAVs, based on the proven design of the Cougar vehicle. In total, the contract authorizes production of up to 1,050 Cougar ILAVs. BAE Systems is prime contractor on the ILAV program, with Force Protection as subcontractor.  
 
“We are pleased to continue to provide our life-saving blast protection technology in support of U.S. armed forces and their coalition partners,” said Force Protection COO Raymond Pollard. “This new contract is further evidence of the many applications of our proven Cougar solution for American forces and their allies in the global war on terror.” 
 
Force Protection's Cougar and Buffalo vehicles have an unmatched record of performance in Iraq and Afghanistan. They are the gold standard in troop safety and have protected thousands of troops during highly dangerous route clearance and explosive ordnance disposal operations since 2003.  
 
Force Protection, Inc., an American company whose vehicles, Cougar and Buffalo, have a proven track record, manufactures ballistic- and mine-protected vehicles through its wholly-owned subsidiary. These specialty vehicles protect against landmines, hostile fire, and Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs, commonly referred to as roadside bombs). Force Protection's mine and ballistic protection technologies are among the most advanced in the world. The vehicles are manufactured outside Charleston, S.C. 
 
BAE Systems is the premier global defense and aerospace company delivering a full range of products and services for air, land and naval forces, as well as advanced electronics, information technology solutions and customer support services. BAE Systems, with 96,000 employees worldwide, had 2006 sales that exceeded $27 billion on a pro forma basis, assuming BAE Systems had owned Armor Holdings, Inc. for the whole of 2006.