CHARLESTON, S.C., Jan. 17 (UPI) -- Force Protection, Inc. confirmed Tuesday it would be able to deliver 15 heavily armored Cougar bomb-disposal trucks to the U.S. Marine Corps this month.
The South Carolina company said in a release Tuesday that its increased production capacity would enable them to meet a $9.4 million contract for 15 Cougar JERRV (Joint Explosive Ordnance Disposal Rapid Response Vehicles) to be delivered in January.
"We are pleased to be able to respond to this urgent need so quickly," said Force Protection Vice President Damon Walsh. "Due to our ramp-up efforts that include expanding production lines and improving manufacturing efficiencies, these vehicles are being produced and readied for presentation to the government in the same month the order was received."
The 12-ton Cougar and its heavier cousin, the Buffalo, have been in use in Iraq and Afghanistan since 2003 as a response vehicle for bomb squads that deactivate mines, booby traps, roadside bombs and other ordnance. They were designed in South Africa.
The Cougar is a tough and heavy truck capable of hauling ordnance-disposal personnel as well as bomb-disposal robots in air-conditioned comfort with maximum protection against bomb blast and small arms fire. It can also be used as a troop transport or for other missions.
Dispatches from Iraq include multiple instances when Cougars endured mine blasts that resulted in no injuries to the occupants; one such incident involved a Cougar that kept on going, driving two miles to its base on three tires.
