Employee Self Service Login Employee Online Training Login SEARCH

IN THE NEWS

Force Dynamics Delivers Three Additional M-ATV Test Vehicles

Publisher: Force Dynamics, LLC
Date: 05/04/2009

Ladson, SC (May 4, 2009) � Force Dynamics, LLC (FD), a joint venture between Force Protection, Inc. (NASDAQ:FRPT) and General Dynamics Land Systems (NYSE:GD), announced today the delivery of 3 additional production representative Mine Resistant Ambush Protected All Terrain � Vehicle (M-ATV)
Cheetah vehicles to the U.S. Army Aberdeen Test and Evaluation Center for continued testing as part of the U.S. Army Tank-Automotive and Armaments Command�s M-ATV program.

Force Dynamics, LLC and Raytheon have agreed to provide a comprehensive command, control, communications, computers, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance system (C4ISR) plug-and-play ready architecture for the M-ATV Cheetah.

As part of the Request for Proposals for a lighter weight Mine Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) vehicle with better mobility the U.S. Army included a comprehensive C4ISR system architecture that would enable rapid installation of various government furnished equipment (GFE) post delivery. Having this C4ISR capability significantly increases the M-ATV operational flexibility, enabling the M-ATVs to be rapidly configured in the field for various mission profiles. Under the original MRAP program, vehicles required extensive modifications, integration, and testing to fully integrate various C4SIR configurations.

�The collaborative effort to meet and exceed the M-ATV C4ISR integration requirements have resulted in a light weight, highly mobile and survivable vehicle platform with a completely integrated C4ISR plug-and-play system� said Damon Walsh, executive vice president, managing director for Force Dynamics. �With this approach we can provide a better, more reliable system and ultimately better value for the war fighter by getting the vehicle into operations faster, it truly is a win-win for our team and our customers�, said Walsh.

�The Force Dynamics - Raytheon solution ushers in a new generation of plug-and-play systems built using the C4ISR Department of Defense Architecture Framework (DoDAF) that provides immediate access to sophisticated radio switching, networked video, navigation systems, Blue Force Tracking, Counter-Radio Controlled Improvised Explosive Device (RCIED) Electronic Warfare, and weapons systems,� explained Sandra B. Gillespie, Vice President of RTSC Mission Systems and Homeland Security Solutions for Raytheon Technical Services Company LLC, a subsidiary of Raytheon Company. �The C4ISR backbone we were able to jointly develop and deliver for this urgent operational requirement provides net-centric integration services for remote monitoring of integrated vehicle and C4ISR systems into one monitoring platform. The vehicle operator and commander will have complete systems status in real time - all the time. The solution Force Dynamics and Raytheon designed, manufactured and installed on the M-ATV Cheetah provides the interoperability necessary so all vehicle and warfighting systems perform coherently providing a strategic advantage over traditional stand alone vehicle and C4SIR systems that require individual control and monitoring�, said Gillespie.
Included in the package are features such as remote data transfer, monitoring of platform usage, and capture of failure information which are built into the Cheetah M-ATV architecture providing local and remote service and support teams tools to effectively monitor and manage each vehicle system more efficiently and effectively. Each M-ATV Cheetah is registered in Raytheon's Force Logistics System II which is electronically integrated to the DoD's current force support systems, which ensures the M-ATV Cheetah is supportable and in turn more available to the warfighter.

About Force Protection, Inc.

Force Protection, Inc. is a leading American designer, developer and manufacturer of survivability solutions, predominantly ballistic- and blast-protected wheeled vehicles currently deployed by the U.S. military and its allies to support armed forces and security personnel in conflict zones. Force Protection�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). Force Protection 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. Force Protection 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. For more information about Force Protection and its vehicles, visit www.forceprotection.net.

About General Dynamics Corp.

General Dynamics, headquartered in Falls Church, Va., employs approximately 92,900 people worldwide. The company is a market leader in business aviation; land and expeditionary combat systems, armaments and munitions; shipbuilding and marine systems; and information systems and technologies. More information about the company is available on the Internet at www.generaldynamics.com.

About Raytheon Company

Raytheon Company, with 2008 sales of $23.2 billion, is a technology and innovation leader specializing in defense, homeland security and other government markets throughout the world. With a history of innovation spanning 87 years, Raytheon provides state-of-the-art electronics, mission systems integration and other capabilities in the areas of sensing; effects; and command, control, communications and intelligence systems, as well as a broad range of mission support services. With headquarters in Waltham, Mass., Raytheon employs 73,000 people worldwide.

Force Protection, Inc. Safe Harbor Language

This press release contains forward looking statements that are not historical facts, including statements about our beliefs and expectations. These statements are based on beliefs and assumptions of Force Protection�s management, and on information currently available to management. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made, and we undertake no obligation to update any of them publicly in light of new information or future events. A number of important factors could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statements. Examples of these factors include, but are not limited to, the ultimate selection of Force Dynamics under the M-ATV Program, our ability to fulfill any order for the M-ATV Cheetah on a timely basis, our ability to effectively manage the risks in our business, the reaction of the marketplace to the foregoing and other risk factors and cautionary statements listed in the Company�s periodic reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including the risks set forth in the Company�s 2008 Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2008.

Back