Oshkosh, Ceradyne, Ideal Innovations Team Up on the Bull

July 30, 2007
Oshkosh Truck Corporation, Ceradyne, Inc. and Ideal Innovations, Inc. (I-3) announced today an agreement to further develop, produce and market the Bull armored vehicle.

Oshkosh Truck Corporation, Ceradyne, Inc. and Ideal Innovations, Inc. (I-3) announced today an agreement to further develop, produce and market the Bull armored vehicle. The Bull is intended to address the increasing need for protection from improvised explosive devices (IED), mine blasts and high-threat, explosively formed projectiles (EFP) and will be built on a combat-proven Oshkosh Truck chassis.

The Bull advanced technology armored solution, conceived by I-3 in 2005 and developed with Ceradyne in 2006, has been tested by the Army Test Center, Aberdeen, Md., and demonstrated to be capable of protecting vehicle occupants against IED, EFP and mine blast threats. It is designed to meet current IED threats, and is intended to withstand the increasingly prevalent and higher EFP threats now faced by the U.S. military.

Joel P. Moskowitz, chief executive officer for Ceradyne, said, "The Oshkosh Truck chassis, which will serve as the primary mobility platform for the Bull, has already been used successfully in combat. When combined with the Bull's special armor, it provides a highly survivable mobile armored vehicle that will serve our military well."

Leveraging the production expertise and capacity of Oshkosh Truck and the armor design and protection provided by Ceradyne and I-3, the three companies can offer the Bull solution on a variety of vehicle platforms, in addition to the Oshkosh Truck chassis. Even after undergoing an attack, the Bull is expected to maintain substantial off-road mobility, which makes it an ideal vehicle for multiple uses in theater such as troop transport, ambulatory rescue and cargo delivery.

Oshkosh Truck, Ceradyne and I-3 are finalizing plans for platform options and supply of critical components. The three companies intend to offer platform options that improve on current vehicle capabilities as solutions for the Department of Defense in the near future.