Tuesday, July 07, 2009

DTN News: Force Protection, Inc. Awarded $70 Million Of Contracts To Install Cougar Independent Suspension Upgrade Kits

DTN News: Force Protection, Inc. Awarded $70 Million Of Contracts To Install Cougar Independent Suspension Upgrade Kits
*Source: DTN News / Force Protection, Inc. On Monday July 6, 2009, 8:30 am EDT (NSI News Source Info) LADSON, S.C. - July 7, 2009: Force Protection, Inc., a leading designer, developer and manufacturer of life saving survivability solutions and provider of total life cycle support for those products, yesterday July 6, announced that it has received contracts for both Phase 1 and Phase 2 installation of specifically redesigned TAK-4 independent suspension kits for 1,317 Cougar MRAPs. Proven combat survivability is the key to sending personnel out with a go anywhere, do anything and get home to tell about it attitude. The advanced ballistic and blast-protected MRAP Cat I Cougar boasts an outstanding occupant survival rate. The Cougar 4x4, which can transport up to six passengers plus equipment, has been a workhorse for the U.S. Marine Corps combat engineers in Iraq since 2004. The Cougar is the paragon of troop transports in Iraq and Afghanistan, where it has withstood literally thousands of IED/landmine attacks. As for the survivability of the Cougar itself, not only is the vehicle built to drive into danger, its reparability typically allows it to return to service within a matter of hours. The Cougar’s reliability has gained it global notoriety and is being sold to foreign allies in Canada, Iraq and the UK.* The Phase 1 award under modification to Contract M67854-07-D-5031 from the United States Marine Corps Systems Command was made on June 16, 2009 for $21.4 million and the Phase 2 was awarded on Friday, July 2, 2009 for an additional $48.9 million. The work is expected to be completed prior to February, 2010 and will be performed by both Force Protection’s staff of field service representatives (FSR) and by FSRs from Oshkosh Corporation (NYSE: OSK - News) under subcontract to Force Protection. The modification for the purchase of the hardware associated with this installation work was awarded on April 8, 2009 in the amount of $158.1 million, bringing the total cost for this independent suspension upgrade program, thus far, to approximately $228 million. The awards under these contract modifications are subject to definitization. Michael Moody, Chief Executive Officer of Force Protection, commented, “We are pleased to have received these awards to install this much needed, high-performance mobility upgrade package for approximately a third of our deployed fleet of Cougar MRAPs. This award demonstrates our ability to capture a range of opportunities to provide service, support, spares and training. We are excited to leverage our recent investment in our Kuwait-based logistics and service depot, which we believe has significantly increased our ability to serve our customer and the war-fighter with faster response and more comprehensive service.” About Force Protection, Inc. Force Protection, Inc. is a leading American designer, developer and manufacturer of survivability solutions, predominantly blast- and ballistic-protected wheeled vehicles currently deployed by the U.S. military and its allies to support armed forces and security personnel in conflict zones. The Company’s specialty vehicles, the Cougar, the Buffalo and the Cheetah, are designed specifically for reconnaissance and urban operations and to protect their occupants from landmines, hostile fire, and improvised explosive devices (IEDs, commonly referred to as roadside bombs). The Company also is the developer and manufacturer of ForceArmor™, an armor package providing superior protection against explosively formed projectiles (EFPs), now available for a wide range of tactical-wheeled vehicles. The Company is one of the original developers and primary providers of vehicles for the U.S. military’s Mine Resistant Ambush Protected, or MRAP, vehicle program.

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