Seattle, WA, USA--(Jobwerx News)--Armored vehicles systems division expanding manufacturing space and to add 400 more jobs to produce ASVs for Operation Iraqi Freedom.

The ASV's modular expandable armor provides front, rear and side crew protection from .50-caliber armor-piercing ammunition. Additionally, the ASV offers defense from 155mm artillery shell fragments overhead and 12-pound mine blasts under each wheel. Cadillac Gage™ family of wheeled and tracked armored combat vehicles.

Textron Marine & Land of New Orleans, Louisiana, an operating unit of Textron Systems, today announced that it has been awarded an undefinitized contract action by the U.S. Army Tank-Automotive & Armaments Command to manufacture 724 additional Armored Security Vehicles (ASV). All 724 vehicles have been designated for use by the U.S. Army. Fifty percent funding has been awarded and when the contract is fully definitized is worth potentially $500 million subject to final contract terms.

Richard Millman, president of Textron Systems, said "We've been working closely with the Army to expedite getting these important vehicles to our soldiers. We are proud to be building these high quality and highly protected armored vehicles that have proved so successful in Iraq. We've significantly increased our production rate and, with this order, will proceed to achieve a rate of 48 vehicles a month."

Textron Marine & Land, based in New Orleans, has also been modifying its production line, expanding its manufacturing space and hiring the necessary workforce. "The company has been building and expanding facilities to meet our customers' needs," said B. Clay Moise, Textron Marine & Land's vice president of marine and combat vehicles. "We've hired more than 700 new employees to get the production lines ready for this contract, and we anticipate hiring up to 400 more employees by March of next year.

Textron Systems Corporation provides innovative technology solutions to meet the needs of the global aerospace and defense industries. The company supports military precision engagement and dominant maneuver with strike weapons, mobility and surveillance systems. The Textron name is well known in the areas of advanced weapons, surveillance systems, aircraft control components, specialty marine craft and armored vehicles. Textron Systems Corporation is a subsidiary of Avco Corporation, a subsidiary of Textron Inc.

"We are very pleased and honored to receive this significant order from the U.S. Army. It is a continued vote of confidence in a vehicle that was specifically designed for a threat-rich, urban environment such as what we continue to face in Operation Iraqi Freedom," added Moise.

The ASV is a 4X4 wheeled armored vehicle that offers exceptional crew protection through the employment of multiple layers of armor that provides defense against medium caliber armor-piercing machine gun fire, large artillery projectile fragments, and land mines. This advanced armor is exceedingly lightweight and 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 Cadillac Gage has equipped the U.S. Army Military Police version 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. Since the introduction of the ASV, Textron Systems has received numerous inquiries from other U.S. military entities, as well as many NATO countries. In response to this demand, Textron has performed studies to determine the ASV's suitability for a variety of missions. With minor modifications and appropriate outfitting, ASV variants include operation as a scout vehicle, armored personnel carrier, reconnaissance, command and recovery vehicle.

This latest sole source contract award brings the total number of production vehicles awarded to Textron to 1118. Work for this contract award will begin immediately, with the first deliveries expected by February, 2006 and full delivery to be completed by June, 2007. All work will be completed at Textron's facilities in Louisiana.

There are currently 130 ASVs deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.