New Orleans, LA - June 27, 2007 - Textron Marine & Land (TM&L), an operating unit of Textron Systems, a Textron Inc. (NYSE: TXT) company, has completed production on the 1,000th Armored Security Vehicle (ASV) at its assembly facility in Slidell, LA.
The recognition of the 1,000th ASV comes seven years after the first vehicle was completed in 2000 and less than two years after production began under the current U.S. Army contract in September 2005. That production was interrupted briefly by the devastation of Hurricane Katrina, but quickly returned to the contract level.
"Everyone here at Textron Marine & Land is proud of the job we do to help protect our soldiers as they carry out their missions around the world," said Textron Marine & Land General Manager Tom Walmsley. "I am proud of the work our team here in Louisiana does every day to make the ASV the safest and most versatile vehicle possible for our troops. We receive constant feedback from the field regarding the quality of our work. But possibly the greatest compliment we get is from family members of soldiers calling to thank us for protecting their loved ones."
Textron Marine & Land employs more than 1,100 people in the New Orleans area, where the ASV is currently its highest volume product.
"All TM&LS employees are to be commended for the completion of our 1,000th ASV," said Textron Marine & Land Vice President of Operations J.O. Smith. "Regardless of where they work, all of our employees do a great job every day to make the ASV an outstanding vehicle. To get these vehicles delivered into the hands of our troops would not be possible without the skill and dedication of our entire workforce. Because of them, we have accomplished this feat 1,000 times over, and with 100 percent On-Time-Delivery for 21 consecutive months."
Textron Marine & Land's ASV is currently used by the United States Army for its military police, convoy protection and Field Artillery Combat Observation and Lasing Teams (COLT) and is deployed in locations around the globe serving various missions. The combat record of the ASV in theaters including Iraq and Afghanistan is exemplary in regard to survivability and crew protection. Despite the rapidly increasing number of ASVs being fielded, it maintains an operational readiness rate of greater than 90 percent in the harsh conditions of the Middle East while averaging 14 hours of use per day for more than 51 months. Missions carried out using the ASV include convoy escorts, patrolling, check points, forward operating base patrol, urban operations, reconnaissance and surveillance patrols, and tactical overwatch for civilian and military police operations.
About the ASV
The ASV is a 4X4 wheeled armored vehicle that offers significant crew protection through the employment of multiple layers of armor that provides defense against small arms fire, 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 Marine & Land 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. With minor modifications and appropriate outfitting, ASV variants can perform a wide variety of missions including scout, infantry personnel carrier, reconnaissance, command and recovery.
About Textron Systems
Textron Systems Corporation ("Textron Systems") provides innovative technology solutions to meet the needs of the defense, homeland security and aerospace communities. The company is known for its precision smart weapons, surveillance systems, complex intelligence and communications systems, aircraft control components, piston engines, specialty marine craft and armored vehicles. Textron Systems is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Avco Corporation. Avco Corporation is wholly-owned subsidiary of Textron Inc. More information is available at www.systems.textron.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.