CINCINNATI, Oct. 12 (UPI) -- The U.S. government has contracted BAE Systems to supply it with sedans, trucks, sports utility vehicles and vans rebuilt with armor protection.
BAE Systems' Platform Survivability business, which has headquarters in Cincinnati, said the contract is worth $15 million.
"This order is a testament to the confidence our customers have in BAE Systems' ability to produce commercial armored vehicles that are both inconspicuous and armor-protected, providing the vehicles' occupants with the extra security and peace of mind they require," said Brian Dawes, program manager for BAE Systems' Commercial Armored Vehicles.
The vehicles will look like the original manufactured commercial models but would have been disassembled and rebuilt by BAE with armor components.
BAE Systems said it is the largest supplier of commercial armored vehicles to the U.S. government. The company's heritage in commercial armored vehicles dates to the 1940s when it designed its first armored vehicle for U.S. President Harry S. Truman.
The armored vehicles will be manufactured in Cincinnati. Production will begin in the spring of 2011 and is expected to be completed by December 2011.
