BAE Systems in Butler County has just been awarded a $10 million federal government contract to armor vehicles for commercial use.
Under the contract, BAE will armor commercial SUV's and pick-ups. The custom vehicles will be tailored to specific customer needs and include mission specific-features. The vehicles won't look like traditional military-style transportation, and are intended to look like everyday commercial vehicles, according to the company.
"With the current growth in areas of conflict, we are seeing global demand for commercial armored vehicles continuing to keep pace," said Don Dutton, Vice President with BAE Systems' Security & Survivability business. "Because they're designed to blend in with local, indigenous cultures, and they send out a decidedly different 'message' than military-style vehicles, we're seeing more and more commercial armored vehicles being used, both here in the U.S. and abroad," added Dutton.
Locally, BAE employs approximately 1,600 and is one of Butler County's largest employers. The commercial armored vehicles will be manufactured in West Chester starting in late 2010, with the first set of deliveries scheduled in 2011.
BAE is an advanced manufacturing, product and service company based in the United Kingdom, with 107,000 employees worldwide. The company's Butler County plant is part of the global aerospace, defense and security company's Land and Armament business unit. The company's client base includes the air, land and naval forces, as well as advanced electronics, security, information technology solutions and customer support services.
Writer: Feoshia Henderson
Source: Jennifer Robinson, BAE Systems
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