U.S. Army orders RPG protection nets

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LISLE, Ill., June 5 (UPI) -- More than 1,300 net kits to protect armored vehicles in Afghanistan from rocket-propelled grenades have been ordered by the U.S. Army.

Navistar Defense LLC said the kits ordered by the U.S. Army TACOM Life Cycle Management Command is an "urgent buy" and worth $59 million.

The RPG protection nets will be used on International MaxxPro Mine Resistant Ambush Protected vehicles.

The kits will be installed on the vehicles in Afghanistan. Deliveries are to begin in August and continue throughout the year, the company said.

"Five years ago, almost to the day, we received our first MaxxPro contract to support the urgent operational need in Iraq," said Navistar Defense President Archie Massicotte.

"We always strive to anticipate the needs of our warfighters and deliver on all contracts with the same urgency asked of us in 2007.

"We are proud to provide integrated solutions, such as the RPG nets, to our armed forces and we will continue to develop new solutions to meet the changing needs of the warfighter."

Navistar had previously delivered 970 RPG net kits for its MaxxPro family of vehicles used in Afghanistan.