Force Protection lands British MRAP deal

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LADSON, S.C., Feb. 25 (UPI) -- Armored vehicle manufacturer Force Protection Inc. announced the British Ministry of Defense has contracted the company for Cougar Mastiff trucks.

The approximately $115 million contract from the British Ministry of Defense is for 174 of Force Protection's mine resistant ambush protected Cougar Mastiff vehicles. Officials say Force Protection will also supply spare parts and field support under the deal.

"We are proud of and grateful for our strong relationship with the United Kingdom Ministry of Defense," Michael Moody, Force Protection chairman and interim chief executive officer, said in a statement.

"A successful sales effort to foreign military customers is an important part of our long-term strategy to fully leverage our position as the innovator and leading supplier of tactical wheeled vehicles and blast and ballistic survivability solutions, while ensuring a solid return on our investments in manufacturing capability. We believe that this order reflects a wide and growing recognition of the high level of quality and capabilities inherent in our vehicle designs, which offer the best available protection for soldiers in the field."

Force Protection is a major contractor of MRAP vehicles for the U.S. military and its allies. A recent expansion of the company's South Carolina facility has enabled Force Protection to increase production to meet the growing demand to protect soldiers in military theaters in Iraq and Afghanistan from improvised explosive devices among other insurgency threats.