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New Orleans, LA -
January 14, 2008 - Textron Marine
& Land Systems (TM&LS), an operating unit of Textron
Systems, a Textron Inc. (NYSE: TXT) company, has signed a
contract to sell seven (7) M1117 Armored Security Vehicles
to the Bulgarian Ministry of Defense. The contract, valued
at approximately $10.2 million USD, includes the anticipated
delivery of the vehicles in the first quarter of 2008.
"We are happy to offer the safety, efficiency
and reliability of the ASV to Bulgaria and its effort to support
peace operations in Afghanistan," said Textron Marine
& Land Systems General Manager Tom Walmsley. "We
will be shipping these ASVs as soon as we complete the United
States export requirements that are well underway. Six of
the seven will be going directly to the Bulgarian troops in
Afghanistan through the Ministry of Defense."
The contract with Bulgaria includes
two years of technical support on the vehicles, as well as
a framework contract which allows the Ministry of Defense
to purchase additional ASVs in the M1117 base configuration,
or variants with modifications needed to carry out various
missions.
About the ASV
The ASV is a 4X4 wheeled armored vehicle that offers significant
crew protection through the employment of multiple layers
of armor, providing defense against small arms fire, artillery
projectile fragments, and land mines. This advanced armor
is exceedingly lightweight and, along with its dimensions,
allows the vehicle to be able to "roll-on/roll-off"
C-130 military transport aircraft. The ASV possesses superior
mobility, agility, handling and ride quality through the utilization
of a four-wheel independent suspension system. Textron Marine
& Land has equipped the M1117 ASV with a specially designed
dual-weapon station that, unlike many other vehicles, enables
the crew to load, reload and clear gun jams under full armor
protection.
With minor modifications and appropriate
outfitting, ASV variants can perform a wide variety of missions
including scout, infantry personnel carrier, reconnaissance,
command and recovery. Current missions of the ASV include
operations with the Military Police, convoy protection, and
Field Artillery Combat Observation and Lasing Teams (COLT).
Its record of performance, reliability and survivability in
the field is excellent. Textron Marine & Land has built
more than 1,200 ASVs to date, more than 950 of which have
been delivered to the U.S. Army for use in operations around
the globe.
About Textron Systems
Textron Systems Corporation (Textron Systems) has been providing
innovative solutions to the defense, homeland security and
aerospace communities for over 50 years. Known for its precision
smart weapons, intelligent battlefield systems, surveillance
systems, intelligence software solutions, aircraft control
components, piston engines, armored vehicles and unmanned
aircraft systems, Textron Systems includes AAI, HR Textron,
Lycoming Engines, Overwatch Tactical Operations, Overwatch
Geospatial Operations, Textron Defense Systems, and Textron
Marine & Land Systems. Textron Systems Corporation is
a wholly-owned subsidiary of Avco Corporation. Avco Corporation
is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Textron Inc. More information
is available at www.textronsystems.com.
About Textron Inc.
Textron Inc. is an $11 billion multi-industry company operating
in 32 countries with approximately 40,000 employees. The company
leverages its global network of aircraft, industrial and finance
businesses to provide customers with innovative solutions
and services. Textron is known around the world for its powerful
brands such as Bell Helicopter, Cessna Aircraft Company, Jacobsen,
Kautex, Lycoming, E-Z-GO, Greenlee, Fluid & Power, Textron
Systems and Textron Financial Corporation. More information
is available at www.textron.com.
Media Contacts:
David Whitaker
Textron Marine & Land Systems
(504) 254-6795
dwhitaker@tmls.textron.com
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