COLUMBUS, Ohio – Battelle will begin transforming Toyota’s Land Cruiser 200 series standard SUVs into specialized armored vehicles for the U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service (DSS) under a new contract award.
Over the past decade, Battelle has steadily built its specialty automotive manufacturing capabilities at facilities on the west side of Columbus, Ohio, building hundreds of armored vehicles for select Department of Defense customers.
Under a Blanket Purchase Agreement (BPA) awarded last year by the Department of State, Battelle recently won a BPA call to build 229 armored Land Cruisers. Delivery of the vehicles is scheduled to begin in March 2022 and be completed in June 2023.
“Battelle has a proven track record of performing sophisticated systems integration for military and commercial applications,” said George Lecakes, vice president and general manager for Battelle’s national security business. “Under this contract, our ground systems team will execute on its custom designs and integrate complex systems to meet mission requirements–at a competitive cost.”
Battelle takes existing commercial vehicles, re-engineers them with protective armor and enhances performance by redesigning and installing stronger suspensions for operations in rugged terrain and enhanced power systems to meet the needs of the upgraded system.
Battelle has a long history of helping the U.S. government with protective vehicles, all the way back to its work on tank armor in World War II. Since 2013, Battelle has transformed hundreds of standard pickup trucks and SUVs into specialty armored vehicles for U.S. Special Operations Command. Prior to its current work on vehicles, Battelle armored High Mobility Multi-purpose Wheeled Vehicles, more commonly called Humvees. Battelle also trained military personnel and contractors to install protective armor kits onto existing vehicles.
About Battelle
Every day, the people of Battelle apply science and technology to solving what matters most. At major technology centers and national laboratories around the world, Battelle conducts research and development, designs and manufactures products, and delivers critical services for government and commercial customers. Headquartered in Columbus, Ohio since its founding in 1929, Battelle serves the national security, health and life sciences, and energy and environmental industries. For more information, visit www.battelle.org.