Spartan Chassis to Supply Key Components for Cougar Armored Vehicles

Jan. 23, 2007
Spartan Chassis, Inc., a subsidiary of Spartan Motors, Inc. today announced it has received a subcontract order from Force Protection, Inc. to supply and integrate key chassis components and assist in the manufacturing of 155 Cougars for use by the U.S. Marine Corps.

Spartan Chassis, Inc., a subsidiary of Spartan Motors, Inc. today announced it has received a subcontract order from Force Protection, Inc. to supply and integrate key chassis components and assist in the manufacturing of 155 Cougars for use by the U.S. Marine Corps.

The order placed with Spartan Chassis by Force Protection, a Charleston, S.C.-based manufacturer of ballistic and mine-protected military vehicles, is worth $23.7 million. The contract is the second largest military chassis order for Spartan since it began supporting military defense efforts in 2005.

The prime procurement contract for approximately 200 vehicles, worth an estimated $214 million, was awarded to Force Protection by the U.S. Marine Corps and will be administered by the Marine Corps System Command.

The Cougar is a medium-sized, blast-protected vehicle produced in both four- and six-wheel configurations. The vehicle's V-shaped hull is designed to deflect the force of explosions away from passengers inside the armored hull. It can be customized for multiple tasks including urban patrol, route clearance support, troop transport, mine and explosive ordnance disposal, command and control, reconnaissance and as a lead convoy vehicle.

Force Protection's Buffalo and Cougar mine-protected vehicles have been deployed with U.S. and Allied forces since 2003 and have logged more than 1.6 million hours of combat operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.