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General Dynamics doubles down on blast-resistant military vehicles
General Dynamics (GD) announced Tuesday it has completed its $360 million acquisition of blast-resistant vehicle builder Force Protection.
The move makes the South Carolina-based combat truck manufacturer a part of General Dynamics Land Systems.
Acquiring the up-and-coming company will make GD a major player among the firms that build vehicles with the blast-resistant design standards that the U.S. and allied militaries have been seeking since makeshift bombs began plaguing the Iraq war effort.
Lawmakers have been major proponents of, and check-writers for, several kinds of bomb-hardened combat vehicles the military has bought over the last four years.
"These vehicles are designed specifically for reconnaissance and urban operations and to protect their occupants from landmines, hostile fire and improvised explosive devices," according to a GD statement. "The company has delivered more than 3,000 vehicles under the U.S. military's MRAP vehicle program, and also provides its vehicles to foreign customers including the United Kingdom Ministry of Defence.
“Together with General Dynamics Land Systems’ portfolio of wheeled tactical and combat vehicles and main battle tanks, this acquisition expands our ability to deliver vehicles that are core to our customer’s force structure and their ability to fulfill their missions,” Mark Roualet, president of General Dynamics Land Systems, said in the statement. "This strengthens our ability to upgrade and modernize our vehicles to meet our customers' evolving needs."
