Ceradyne, Inc., through its vehicle armor division, Ceradyne Vehicle Armor Systems, and in conjunction with its teaming partner, Ideal Innovations, Inc. of Arlington, Virginia, announced today the introduction of a high-threat vehicle designated the "BULL.”
According to Marc King, Vice President of Armor Operations for Ceradyne, the vehicle is specifically designed for close urban terrain and can withstand the most lethal IED (improvised explosive device) threats that are currently facing our ground forces in Iraq and Afghanistan. Intended to complement the overall mission capabilities of the MRAP (mine resistant ambush protected) class of vehicles, the BULL’s armor provides needed protection against explosively formed penetrators (EFPs), the shaped charges that hit vehicles from the side in close urban terrain, as well as survive conventional IED attacks that have been used against coalition forces.
“The BULL is a commercial derivative of a vehicle that successfully passed limited testing by the U.S. Government. Whereas the details of its complete capabilities remain classified, it has clearly demonstrated a level of performance and crew survivability not previously seen in other armored vehicles," said King. "We feel this is a clear technological leap forward in crew survivability."
In addition to the increase in crew survivability from the most lethal threats, noted King, the BULL can be configured as a logistics vehicle for the transport of cargo, fuel and other supplies providing logistics crews the same increased level of protection as that being provided to ground forces. Future procurements of the BULL are under discussion with several government agencies, in addition to the Department of Defense, who have expressed interest.