Battelle awarded $170 million contract to build armored vehicles for SOCOM

Battelle was awarded a second contract from the U.S. Special Operations Command (SOCOM) on Tuesday worth $170 million to build non-standard commercial vehicles (NSCVs).

The contract stipulates that Battelle will build armored and unarmored vehicles for the next five years at its manufacturing facility in West Columbus, Ohio. The contract includes an option for two additional years.

“Battelle has a proven track record of performing sophisticated systems integration for military and commercial applications,” Fred Byus, vice president of Battelle’s mission and defense technologies business, said. “Under this contract, our vehicle systems team will execute on its custom designs and integrate complex systems to meet mission requirements—at a competitive cost.”

Under the contract, Battelle will take existing vehicles and reengineer them with protective armor and add such durability features as stronger suspensions for rugged terrain and enhanced alternators to withstand extreme climates. Armored vehicles retain the original equipment manufacturer (OEM) appearance on Hilux, Land Cruiser and Ford platforms. Each vehicle is designed with crew protection, an enhanced suspension and a reinforced chassis in mind.

Battelle has worked with the U.S. armed forces in the past, dating to World War II. More recent work has included high mobility multipurpose wheeled vehicles and training military personnel and contractors to install more than 500 protective armor kits onto existing vehicles.