FRPT

[la-onda]

BO ALERT; MACD Crossing 


Force Protection Announces Follow-On Order for Additional Cougar Vehicles

Force Protection, Inc. today announced a follow-on order by the U.S. Marine Corps for 15 additional Cougar Joint Explosive Ordnance Disposal Rapid Response Vehicles (JERRV). The order, which includes associated support items and services, is worth an estimated $9.3 million.
The U.S. Department of Defense awarded Force Protection a contract for 79 Cougar JERRVs in May. This marks the second delivery order made under the contract in less than two months. All vehicles will be manufactured and delivered to the government this calendar year.

"The Joint IED Defeat Organization is funding these vehicles in a manner that leaves no question as to how urgently they are needed," said Force Protection CEO Gordon McGilton. "We are responding in kind not only with this life-saving technology, but with the resources necessary to maintain the vehicles at the highest levels of performance." Force Protection has placed more than 30 Field Service Representatives (FSRs) in the field to assist the armed forces in training and vehicle maintenance in Iraq and Afghanistan.

"We have a proven solution to counter IEDs in the Cougar JERRV," said Vice President for Marine Corps Programs Wayne Phillips. "It is being fielded in greater numbers every day, and with the support system created by the deployment of our FSRs, troops will continue to have the resources that ensure optimal use of these vehicles." About Force Protection Force Protection, Inc. manufactures ballistic- and mine-protected vehicles through its wholly owned subsidiary. These specialty vehicles are protected against landmines, hostile fire, and Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs, commonly referred to as roadside bombs). Force Protection's mine and ballistic protection technology is among the most advanced in the world. The vehicles are manufactured outside Charleston, S.C.

For more information on Force Protection and its vehicles, go to www.forceprotection.net.

[Terliso]

New 52 week high again  

[Terliso]

Hey La-onda, since we updated this thread last January FRPT skyrocketed from 0.80 to 5.30
that was 562.00%  wow

I made nice profit on FRPT between that range

     

[Terliso]

This tough armored truck is saving lives of the american soldiers in Iraq....

I'd like to see the Humvee to be replaced by the Cougar for good.

[la-onda]

applaud Terliso,
unfortunaltely I was already a shareholder 2005 (in @ 0,26; out @ 0,4; before the reverse split) but I have sold much too early   
Even at the begining of my postings, I wasn´t convinced enough.
Now fully convinced and in @ 4.7 $

long and strong

cheers
Oliver

[MARTY]

Do you still consider this a good entry point?  Or would I just be chasing this thing?

[la-onda]

nice MACD crossing Terliso 

[la-onda]

nice summarization:
By: amstocks82
23 Jun 2006, 12:53 AM EDT
   Msg. 73785 of 73788
Jump to msg. # 
Force Protection, Increasing Success
Force Protection has become increasingly successful. In 2003, Force Protection had a handful of employees and 6.2 million in sales. In 2004, Force Protection's revenue increased to 10.3 million. In 2005, revenue was 49.7 million. In the first quarter of 2006, Force Protection had 34.8 million in sales and is growing fast. Much of the reason for the recent growth in revenue is Force Protection building a true production line for the Cougar line of vehicles. Prior to building the production line, Force Protection built the vehicles on a one by one basis in what could be called 'pods'. This is a suitable manufacturing method for low numbers of vehicles but is not suitable for large contracts of several hundred vehicles.

Force Protection's production line is capable of manufacturing approximately 20 Cougar type vehicles per month. Force protection has the floor space in the manufacturing facility to add more production lines if needed and has recently added a second production line (according to an investment report by Catalyst). The second production line is still in the testing phase. Force Protection is designing the third production line which will be used to build the ILAV (Iraqi Light Armored Vehicle) which is another Cougar variant.

Along with the Cougars, Force Protection is currently manufacturing 4 Buffalo Mine Clearing Vehicles per month. Force Protection has said that they could potentially produce up to 16 Buffalos per month.

The armor plating and blast resistant design used by Force Protection is based on decades of research by South African companies. Force Protection's chassis is based on various designs including the MAC-10 truck from Peterbuilt. For the Cougar and Cougar variants, Force Protection uses Chassis provided by Spartan Chassis Inc. Spartan Chassis is one of the most innovative Chassis manufacturers in the United States. For the drive train, transmission and motor, Force Protection uses the best commercially available solution from US manufacturers such as Caterpillar, Mack, Allison, Fabco and Marmon-Herrington. This ensures high reliability because they are using proven designs.

Force Protection is able to build a highly reliable vehicle by using the best technology from many different vendors. Recently, Force Protection announced the acquisition of the manufacturing and development rights to a new "Blast Manipulation Technology" that may be used on wheeled and tracked vehicles. The new technology substantially reduces the blast effect on vehicles and it is possible that this technology will be one of the most valuable technologies Force Protection has acquired in future years.

Force Protection has a solution that was designed from the ground up to survive mine and IED blasts. Force Protection's vehicle is called the Mine Resistant Utility Vehicle - Rapid Deployable (MUV-R). This vehicle is intended to be used as a replacement for smaller wheeled vehicles such as the Humvee.

Looking at Force Protection's future, they have a long term contract with BAE and the US Defense Department to build ILAVs. They have current contracts to manufacture Buffalo vehicles and Cougar vehicles. They are likely to benefit from the recent Supplemental Defense Spending bill and 2007 Defense Appropriations bill with even more Cougar and Buffalo contracts.

Longer term, Force Protection is competing for the replacement for the Humvee which will be called the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle (JLTV) Family of Vehicles. Force Protection will likely get a contract to continue development for the Humvee replacement. It is feasible that they will get an interim replacement contract to produce MUV-R vehicles to replace some Humvees used in dangerous areas.

With one Cougar production line and the Buffalo line, Force Protection could easily produce over $200 million per year worth of vehicles. With the second Cougar production line and the ILAV production line, this figure increases dramatically. In addition, Force Protection has support contracts for deployed vehicles. The larger the number of deployed vehicles, the more support Force Protection will provide. Force Protection's future looks very bright!
link:
http://www.ragingbull.lycos.com/mboard/boards.cgi?board=FRPT&read=73785

new 52 week high:

FRPT: New 52-Wk High @ $5.580 up 3.72%
Thursday , June 22, 2006 09:56 ET

This is the 1st 52 WEEK HIGH alert for FRPT in the past 7 calendar days.

The share price for Force Protection, Inc (OTCBB: FRPT) reached a new 52-week high today, trading at $5.580, up $0.200 (3.72%) from its previous close of $5.380.

The Company's previous 52-week high of $5.490 was set yesterday on June 21, 2006.

One year ago, the Company's shares closed at $1.400. The price has climbed more than 298 percent since then.

At the time of this alert, the stock had traded 67,200 shares via 65 trades, 88.99% below it's 20day average of 610,295 shares.

This new 52-week high currently puts the stock:

25.62% above its 20day Moving Average of $4.442
65.75% above its 50day Moving Average of $3.367
111.13% above its 100day Moving Average of $2.643

[la-onda]

 

FRPT: Jumps +6.61%; Vol +114%; Last 90 Min of Trading
Monday , June 26, 2006 16:22 ET

During the last 90 minutes of today's session, shares of Force Protection, Inc (OTCBB: FRPT) demonstrated a strong UPWARD close relative to its 13:30 ET statistics. "Strong Closers" are determined by proprietary Knobias calculations performed during the last segment of each trading day.

sym: FRPT      @13:30 ET        @CLOSE      % CHANGE
----------   -----------   -----------  ------------
PRICE              $5.60         $5.97        +6.61%
VOLUME           383,900       822,700      +114.30%
#TRADES              162           339      +109.26%
DAY-HI             $5.60         $5.98       LATE-HI
DAY-LO             $5.17         $5.17           N/A

TODAY'S RAiDAR HEADLINES for FRPT:

06/26/2006 13:50 FRPT: New 52-Wk High @ $5.600 up 6.67% - knobias
06/26/2006 08:52 West Point Cadets Train with Force Protection's Buffalo Vehicle - Business Wire

[la-onda]

nice summarization:
Force Protection Inc. (FRPT.ob) - Blast resistant stock for your portfolio?

Force Protection is an interesting niche story. The company is an innovative manufacturer of blast-protected military vehicles that successfully shield against land mines and IEDs (Improvised Explosive Devices) - which have been the leading cause of combat deaths for U.S. soldiers stationed in Iraq. To date, not one single fatality has occurred inside any of Force Protection's military vehicles. This sterling track record, coupled with rising demand, has begun to generate attention in the investment community for FRPT stock, which has been on a tear since early May, rising over 150% from just under $2 to the low-mid 5s. Whether or not FRPT stock is a buy here at the current risk/reward is open to question, but what is certain at this time is that FRPT is a story stock worth learning about and keeping a watchful eye on toward the future.

Force Protection, Inc. is the world's leading manufacturer of ballistic- and blast-protected vehicles, which have been used to support armed forces and security personnel in Iraq, Afghanistan, Kosovo and other hot spots around the globe. Headquartered near Charleston, South Carolina, Force Protection also has become the nation's leading center for blast protection technology and research to counter improvised explosive devices (IEDs). Built for a variety of missions and designed for rapid adaptation, Force Protection's specialty vehicles provide the solution for a 360-degree battlefield where the "front line" is on all sides.

PRODUCTS

The company currently produces two blast-protected vehicles with different mission capabilities: (1) the Buffalo and (2) a lighter vehicle, the Cougar.  A third vehicle, the Mine-protected Utility Vehicle/Rapid Deployable, or MUV-R,  is in the proto-type and development phase.

The Buffalo

The Buffalo is the heaviest vehicle—weighing 22 tons—and is designed principally for route clearing activities. It integrates a blast resistant capsule with an American-made truck engine and drive train. A key aspect of mine protected-vehicle design is the management of hot gasses and concussive energy released by a mine or IED blast. The Buffalo is designed to deflect and dissipate the explosive blast away from the passenger compartment, thus protecting the occupants from harm. Utilizing FRPT's advanced technology, the Buffalo is able to withstand even a major explosion. Competing vehicles without benefit of such an advanced V-hull design—such as up-armored Humvees—rely solely on retrofitting heavy armor plates to absorb blast energy as just one aspect of its use. The Buffalo design emphasizes blast and ballistic protection as the vehicle's primary mission.

The U.S. Army tested the Buffalo at the Aberdeen Proving Grounds to determine its measure of "survivability"—i.e. the  ability of the Buffalo's blast capsule to effectively protect the occupants and the critical automotive components from the effects of explosive blasts. Following such tests, the U.S. Army has ordered and deployed more than fifty Buffalos for service in Afghanistan and Iraq, and has announced its desire to use the Buffalo in the newly established "Route Clearance Companies" being developed as part of the IED Defeat Task Force. This real-world experience has demonstrated the Buffalo's ability to withstand blasts without injury to the occupants. The Buffalo fills a niche in the U.S. Army's route clearance systems and when used in this capacity, the Buffalo currently has no direct competition. The company has developed its infrastructure and manufacturing capacity to produce four Buffalo vehicles per month (with initial upside toward 8 per month) to meet anticipated near term demand. The Buffalo generates about $850,000 in revenue per vehicle.

The Cougar

The Cougar first launched in 2004 and was designed to serve a broader market and mission range than the Buffalo. Its missions include urban patrol, route clearance support, utility transport and special unit activities. Like the Buffalo, the Cougar employs the geometric V-Hull design to deflect blast energy along with an armored steel capsule affording ballistic protection, and while the Cougar, at 14 tons, is lighter than the Buffalo, it offers a similar level of blast protection. Like the Buffalo, the Cougar uses a standard American automotive drive train and control components which allow service and maintenance similar to that of a commercial truck, making servicing the Cougar less expensive and easier to service. The company has developed its infrastructure and manufacturing capacity to produce twenty or more Cougar vehicles per month (with initial upside to 40 per month) to meet anticipated near term demand. The Cougar generates about $650,000 in revenue per vehicle.

Mine-protected Utility Vehicle/Rapid Deployable (MUV-R)

The company is currently well into the development of a third vehicle, the MUV-R (pronounced "Mover"). The MUV-R will be the smallest of the three vehicles—weighing seven tons or less. Management positioned the MUV-R for use by security services and other agencies requiring blast and ballistic protection for personnel transport in high threat and insurgent-hostile regions. While not specifically positioned as a replacement for the two-decade old armored Humvee,  Department of Defense efforts to "up-armor" Humvees already deployed to the Army and Marines have proven less than effective. The added weight of the armor strains the vehicle's engine and drive-train and the method of armor plating is vulnerable to blast energy. The MUV-R's geometric V-hull design conducts this energy out the sides, protecting the occupants. Being specifically designed for blast and ballistic protection, the MUV-R protects vital engine components to allow continuing vehicle operations even after surviving a blast from a landmine, an IED or a roadside bomb. The U.S. military has recently undertaken market studies to develop a fleet of new "Joint Light Tactical Vehicles" specifically intended to replace the Humvees, and Force Protection believes that the MUV-R can effectively compete for a share of this newly evolving opportunity. The vehicle is still in its developmental stage and will require further work before it is ready for production.

The company is in hypergrowth mode. Full Year 2005 revenues were up almost five-fold from 2004 ($49.7 mil vs. $10.3 mil) on increased capacity and production with 71 vehicles shipped in '05 (31 buffalo; 40 cougar) vs. 14 total in 2004. The ramp has continued into 2006, with 44 vehicles (43 cougar, one buffalo) shipped in Q1 alone, driving revenues of $34.8 million. Significant investment in ramping up manufacturing processes and production facilities has led to production records in April and May. Without any additional production lines added (additional lines are likely) or additional shifts utilized (again, likely) the company should be able to ship close to 60 Cougars and 12 Buffalo per quarter. (It should be noted from the two releases that April/May shipments look to have included 40 Cougars, but possibly only 3 Buffalos). Gross Margins should expand off Q1's 19% as volumes increase, and its not a stretch to look for $11 mil or more in gross profit Q2 (off revenues of $55 mil). Q1's operating profit of 114k will be easily surpassed, and could surprise toward $3-4 mil or more, and the company should put up positive EPS for the first time.

Recent significant developments keep the outlook bright. 
Delivery orders for 63 additional Cougars totaling $41.3 mil have already been received as part of a Department of Defense contract ($50 mil; 79 Cougars) awarded in early May. This boosts backlog nicely, which stood at 101 vehicles as of the end of Q1. Its important to recognize that as the "installed base" of vehicles grows, the opportunity for higher-margin after-market service and parts revenue expands commensurately, as the vehicles are built to have a 20-year useful life, and are generally "attacked" several times per year. Additionally, Force Protection will act as a subcontractor to BAE Systems, who received a $180 million contract to manufacture 378 Iraqi Light Armored Vehicles (ILAV) for use by the Iraqi military police which will be similar in design to the Cougar and will result in license fees being paid to Force Protection. There is upside to this contract as it calls for as many as 1050 vehicles; it will lead to additional service and parts revenue for FRPT; it has also already provided the seeds for takeover speculation.

However, there's still not a lot of visibility on the numbers here. In spite of the strong revenue growth, G&A expense could still surprise to the upside with capacity inreasing sharply, so it may be best to let the company deliver for a quarter or two, at the risk of potentially overpaying for a hot stock of a developing company in a cold and turbulent market. There are risks here. Interest expense in Q1 was over 800k; the company's financial statements have been prepared on a "going concern" basis; and while the company noted its $7.2 million cash flow from operations in Q1, two/third's of that came from an increase in accounts payable (hardly an achievement), and the rest can be accounted for by receivables collection - so this company hasn't exactly turned the corner yet operationally. But that turn could be right around the corner, and FRPT stock should be on your radar now and ahead of Q2 earnings in mid-August. In the meantime, the prospect of additional meaningful contract announcements and/or further developments related to the MUV-R gaining traction with key decision-makers in the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle program would only fortify the company and its stock price further.
link:
http://www.goldenmeanstockreport.com/2006/06/frpt_force_prot.html#more

[la-onda]

the party is still continuing......

[la-onda]

small correction after nice run upwards to new 52 week high

update:
Force Protection Exceeds June Production Objectives, Fulfills DOD Cougar Contract
Monday , July 03, 2006 10:25 ET

LADSON, S.C., Jul 03, 2006 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Force Protection, Inc. (OTCBB:FRPT) today announced it has again exceeded vehicle production objectives. The armored vehicle manufacturer produced and delivered 19 Cougar Joint Explosive Ordnance Disposal Rapid Response Vehicles (JERRV) and three Buffalo route clearance vehicles to the U.S. government in June.

"This is an important season for Force Protection," said CEO Gordon McGilton. "Starting in November 2005, we committed substantial time and resources to the expansion of our production capacity and capabilities, and we have met or exceeded production schedules each month since as a result. We look forward to continuing this remarkable upward trend as we address the Iraqi Light Armored Vehicle (ILAV) contract."

Force Protection was awarded a contract by the U.S. Department of Defense in May 2005 for 122 Cougar JERRVs for use by all branches of the armed forces. The contract, administered by the Marine Corps, was slated for completion in June 2006.

"We have done precisely what we committed to do," said Vice President for Marine Corps Programs Wayne Phillips. "The completion of the JERRV contract took place as we told the Marines last year when our ramp-up efforts began. In addition, we are on track for the on-time completion of the current Buffalo contract with the Army, and will apply these same practices to the ILAV program."

Force Protection's Buffalo and Cougar vehicles have been deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan since 2003. Popular with military engineers and explosive ordnance disposal teams, not a single reported fatality has occurred in three years despite more than 1,000 mine detonations and improvised explosive device attacks.

[la-onda]

party on.... 

[la-onda]

wonderful article about FRPTs future:

REQUIEM FOR A FIGHTING VEHICLE

Ground-Pounders look to replace the old-soldier HMMWV
The Marine Corps is looking to replace the High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle, or "Humvee."

The new vehicle is officially known as the CTV. The Combat Tactical Vehicle is part of the family of Joint Light Tactical Vehicles, or JLTVs, that are being jointly developed in conjunction with the Army.
"We're going through the requirements process right now with an eye toward production around 2012," said Lieutenant Colonel Mike Micucci, JLTV project manager for the Marine Corps Combat Development Command at Quantico, Virginia.
Micucci told SOF the Marine Corps has an acquisition objective of 19,000 JLTVs. Because of the cost involved, the Marine Corps is pooling its resources with the Army to determine its requirements and quantities. Army and Navy versions would have 80% parts interchangeability, said Maj. Gen. William Lenaers, commander of the Army Tanks and Automotive Command.

The war in Iraq has painfully demonstrated to both the Army and the Marine Corps that the venerable Humvee has had it as a combat tactical vehicle. "I think we are finding that the Humvee with all of the attachments and all of the armor that we've put on, the vehicle is pretty much maxed out," said Micucci, a combat engineer officer whose battalion from Camp Lejeune cut breaches in sand berms separating Kuwait and Iraq so that First Battalion, Fifth Marines, the unit this reporter was embedded with in 2003, could spearhead Operation Iraqi Freedom.

The Humvee worked very well in the initial phases of Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan, but Colonel Clarke R. Lethin, G-3 for the First Marine Division in Iraq and also involved in Task Force 58 that took down the Taliban in Kandahar, says the enemy also has a vote in how we fight: Lethin says what we are seeing in Iraq with IEDs is going to be the wave of the future on the battlefield.

"The key to this [new] vehicle is survivability. That's our Number One Priority," said Lt. Col. McCucci: Both the Army and Marine Corps are looking for a mine-IED-resistant vehicle that has underbody protection, something the up-armored M1114 Humvee does not have. There have been 341 Marines killed in action and 4,099 wounded in combat in Iraq since February 2004 when the insurgency shifted from RPGs [Rocket-Propelled Grenades] to IEDs, Improvised Explosive Devices.

Like a turtle, the underbelly of a Humvee is its most vulnerable spot. It is not uncommon for five Marines or U.S. soldiers to be killed in the twinkling of an eye if an IED explodes beneath their seats. For that reason, the Marine Corps is looking for ways to develop some "Six Pack ABs" in the belly of its combat vehicles.

Harder Body, Longer Range
"We're looking at A and B Armor Kits. The A-kit is your underbody protection for hard to reach areas like the firewall. The B-kit is additional armor that we would add on to windows, doors and tops of vehicles," McCucci said. Those kits are being developed right now as an immediate fix to the increasing IED threat in Iraq. No word when they'll be available. On the new family of vehicles, an A kit will stop 7.62mm rounds at 30 meters; a B kit will stop 14.5mm rounds. An A kit will withstand a 155mm shell burst at 100 meters, while a B kit will withstand the same at 60 meters.

Col. Lethin says fuel consumption is another requirement. "The vehicle we are designing has to be able to go farther than a Humvee on the same amount of fuel," Lethin said.
Humvees currently have a fuel capacity of 25 gallons -- enough diesel to take them 350 miles on hard-surfaced roads. Off road, the operating range drops considerably.
Lethin says hybrid-electric power plants might increase the range of the next generation Humvee, thus reducing the number of convoys placed in Harm's Way to keep them "humming."
The ability to generate on-board power is another major requirement for future combat vehicles. The current Humvee has a 24-volt, negative ground, 60-amp electrical system. This is not enough juice to power up systems being developed to address the IED threat, such innovations as IED jamming and pre-detonation systems, and even remote-controlled automatic weapons to insure the survivability of gunners who are most at risk standing in open turrets on the battlefield.

"At a minimum on the JLTV, we want to have exportable power on board the vehicle, in the range of 15 to 30kw," said McCucci, "but we don't have a preconceived notion as to what the replacement Humvee will look like when it hits the battlefield in 2012."
Other system requirements include rollover protection, greater reliability, enhanced towing capacity and a design wish list that includes the ability to detect and respond to small arms fire, allow gunners to fight from cover, have run-flat tires, fit inside a CV-130 or even a CH-47, and so on. The requirements are many, varied, and all predicated on combat experience.

However, one thing is certain. This time around, the military is going to build a combat vehicle first and then create a utility vehicle, not vice-versa as it did with the Humvee.
Born in the 1970s when the United States Army concluded that militarized versions of civilian trucks in use no longer satisfied their requirements, HMMWVs have become the backbone of U.S. forces around the world. More than 10,000 were used during Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2003, but they are very vulnerable to rocket propelled grenades, or RPGs, and they offer only minimal protection from small arms fire.

Shortly after the United States invaded Iraq in March 2003, the Georgia Technology Research Institute was tasked by the Office of Naval Research to develop a vehicle that was about the size of a Humvee that could generate a mega-watt of power, enough electricity to power a small city or a small hospital.

Dr. Gary W. Caille, head of the Systems Program Office, was contracted to do a feasibility study, but his marching orders were changed a year later in May 2004 when the IED threat surfaced in Iraq.

Admiral Jay Cohen, who headed ONR at the time, ordered Caille and company to come up with an armored patrol vehicle that can accommodate two to four people, provide integrated blast/ballistic protection, and go 60 miles per hour. "And..... By the way, we needed it yesterday," said Admiral Cohen.
Without a lot of time or money, undergraduate and graduate students at the Georgia Technology Research Institute, and consultants including the chief engineer for Corvette, took an artist's conception of a CTV [Combat Tactical Vehicle] and in conjunction with Techno Sports, a fabrication shop in Livonia, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit, produced a prototype called "Ultra."

At first glance, the vehicle looks like something out of a "Mad Max," movie starring Mel Gibson. "We tried to take a systems approach to what causes significant injury and death in vehicles," Caille told SOF. In other words, the vehicles are expendable, the personnel inside them are not.

Since weight was a factor, the students at Georgia Tech only armored the passenger compartment. They came up with a unique way to mold the armor around hard-to-reach places. That's how the "blast bucket" concept was conceived.
"We also developed seats that will slow down the acceleration force on the human body during an explosion, and arranged those seats in a back-to-back 360-degree configuration so that four personnel have increased situational awareness by facing outboard," said Dr. Caille. By bringing personnel closer together, Caille discovered they could communicate easier.

"We also wanted to get people farther away from the tires, because IEDs and mines can turn wheel rims into shrapnel," Caille said, "but let's set the record straight. These devices being used against our troops are no longer 'improvised'."

Time and funding constraints forced Professor Caille to purchase an off-theshelf frame, a Ford F-350 chassis, for his concept vehicle, so he could get Ultra rolling, but the prototype has no off-road capability.
"That capability has yet to be defined by the military," said Caille, "but the real nugget here is the blast bucket crew configuration." Col. Lethin agrees. "The configuration, the angles, the blast bucket concept is very interesting, but we need to do some modeling and simulation to find out what kind of advantages that may give our personnel in terms of protection from mines and IEDs," said Lethin.
For example, sitting in seats facing outboard can be beneficial in a firefight, but Lethin says there is evidence that sitting sideways in a vehicle can cause a person to become disoriented, especially during long periods of time spent staring at landscape passing by on a horizontal plane. That's why Lethin is not looking at Ultra as a whole system, but a concept that can provide crucial components for the vehicle that replaces the Humvee.
Ultra's shock-absorbing seat design also looks promising, but Lethin says six-point harnesses will only be effective if Marines use them. During the first year of Operation Iraqi Freedom, 40% of the casualties, some 100 troops, involved accidents such as rollovers and wrecks. Now more than 75% of the casualties can be blamed on IEDs.
Hollow tube construction in Ultra's undercarriage allows for fire and flame from a blast to be vented, and thus reduce the blast effect of an IED. But Lethin won't know if it works until Caille and crew put Ultra to the ultimate test. They plan to blow up Ultra next year.

Lethin also told SOF the fire retardant system being built into the Marine Corps' new Expeditionary Fighting Vehicle, which will replace the Armored Amphibious Assault Vehicle, is another area worth exploring since so many of the Humvees that are hit by IEDs explode and burn.

Interim Solutions:
Combat engineers in both the Marine Corps and U.S. Army are employing new vehicles against IED threats in Iraq. The Cougar Hardened Engineer Vehicle [HEV] and the Joint Explosive Ordnance Disposal Rapid Response Vehicle, or JERRV, can serve as a mineproof troop transport, a weapons platform or an escort protection vehicle. "They can survive a larger blast from an IED or mine than your typical Humvee," said Lt. Col. Micucci.

"What really separates these vehicles is their level of survivability," Micucci said. The Cougar and JERRV are larger than the RG-31 that is currently being used in Iraq by Explosive Ordnance Technicians and Combat Engineers. Three variants of each vehicle are being produced: a 4x4 EOD vehicle, a 6x6 EOD vehicle and a 6x6 engineer vehicle. EOD vehicles usually carry four troops while the engineer vehicles carry 10. There are minor differences in the two vehicles. The Cougar has firing ports while the JERRV has a ring mount for crew served weapons.


Combat Field Tests
The Marine Corps purchased 27 Cougars for use in Operation Iraqi Freedom in Iraq and Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan. The Pentagon's Joint IED Task Force designated the Marine Corps as the lead procurement agency to buy 122 JERRVs to be distributed among the Marine Corps, Army, Navy and Air Force. The Corps is receiving 38 vehicles.
The contract to produce the vehicles was awarded to Force Protection Industries of Charleston, South Carolina.

Weighing 52,000 pounds and costing $600,000 per vehicle, neither Cougar nor JERRV have the transportability or cost effectiveness to serve as a replacement for the Humvee, Micucci told SOF.
"They're just too big and too heavy to airlift," said Micucci, "and they take up too much room on our pre-positioned ships." But the new vehicles are getting rave reviews from Marines and soldiers who ride in them.

Proven Survivability:
Cougars have survived at least a half dozen IED attacks to date. One Cougar being used by Marines with Security Detachment, 8th Engineer Support Battalion needed to have the left front wheel assembly replaced. Of the Marines inside the vehicle, two had their bells rung by the blast, two others received minor burns, but all survived.

The IED detonated directly under the vehicle, pushing outward instead of straight up due to the "V-shaped" undercarriage. That spared crewmembers from serious if not life-threatening injuries.
"Ground clearance has a significant impact on mitigating blast," said Col. Lethin, but he believes Cougar sits too high off the ground, making it top heavy and too difficult to transport by air or sea.
As we wrapped up our interview, Dr. Caille noted that the military has known for years that the Humvee wasn't able to do what it was being called upon to do, and should be replaced. But he says defense dollars went into other projects like the F-22 Raptor and the Virginia class of nuclear submarines.
Caille says the slaughter of 18 U.S. Army Rangers from the 10th Mountain Division and the wounding of 73 other troops as Humvees ran through a gauntlet of RPG and AK-47 fire in the crowded streets of Mogadishu in early October 1993 should have been a wakeup call to replace the Humvee.
But the Pentagon apparently pushed the snooze button, and only now is waking up to the fact that Humvees can no longer take the kind of hits they're taking in Iraq and Afghanistan and keep on rolling.
The opinions expressed above do not necessarily represent the views of Soldier of Fortune.

link:
http://www.sofmag.com/display.do?articleId=469

Analysis quotation from another board:
"We're going through the requirements process right now with an eye toward production around 2012"

1. FRPT may have a big advantage by having their vehicle available more quickly than any competition. The competition is working on plywood models, while the MUV-R was demonstrated to the DoD in Febuary.
2. This gives Force Protection and the partner they choose for the MUV-R plenty of time to ramp up production capacity.
3. In message 73014 and 72912 we believe the Cougar 4x4 will displace the Armored Humvee as the interim vehicle, so there are several years of contracts for the interim vehicle available.

"The Marine Corps has an acquisition objective of 19,000 JLTVs" "the Marine Corps is pooling its resources with the Army to determine its requirements and quantities"

1. I believe this means the desired quantity is 19,000 for the Marines, plus whatever quantity the Army needs. The number of soldiers in the Army is much greater than in the Marines, so it is likely the Army would need at least 19,000 more.
2. Even if the total need is "only" 19,000, at a price of 265,000 each, that would be a 5 Billion contract for FRPT and its partner.

"what we are seeing in Iraq with IEDs is going to be the wave of the future on the battlefield. The key to this vehicle is survivability. That's our Number One Priority"

1. Survivability was the number one priority in the selection criteria for the ILAV and, as we know, the FRPT design won.
2. There is no other manufacturer that can come close to making a claim of 1000 IED hits and no fatalities.
3. No other vehicles can compare for took a direct IED hit and kept going to get me to safety stories. From testimonials on FRPT web site.

cheers
O.

[amstocks82]

I began purchasing Force Protection FRPT.OB (FPI) a few months back starting in April when the share price was less than $2.00 a share. It is now $6.38 a share but I believe this is only the begining of the run to $40 or $50 a share.

FPI is a relatively new company that produces vehicles for the military that can survive IEDs and mines. They have two main products that they are currently selling. They have the Cougar and Bufallo vehicles. There are a family of vehicles based on the Cougar design. The Bufallo is designed specifically for rapid and safe route clearance in areas that may have IEDs and mines. FPI has a third vehicle that they produced which is in the prototype and testing phase call the MUR-R.

The bottom line for FPI is that they manufacture the most survivable combat support light trucks, engineering vehicles and transports available.

Revenue is growing fast. The government basically gives FPI contracts for as much business as they can handle and FPI has been ramping up production fast. But even with the rapid production ramp up, there is a lot more business than FPI can handle. Therefore, FPI recently began partnering with other companies such as BAE. The recent contract for the Iraqi Light Armored Vehicle which BAE recieved is based on FRPT's Cougar design.  BAE was awarded the contract but FPI will produce about half the vehicles, gets all the parts and other support business and gets a license fee from BAE.

http://www.defenseindustrydaily.com/2006/06/bae-delivering-a-cougar-variant-for-iraqs-4454m-ilav-contract/index.php

Within the next three months, FPI will likely be awarded new contracts for both the Buffalo and Cougar vehicles and a development contract for the MUV-R. It is likely that the MUV-R will be picked as the interim replacement for the Humvee in Iraq. sometime late this fall. FPI is already searching for a suitable partner because the volume of production will require a large physical plant and workforce. Force Protection has announced that there will be 140 Bufallo in service by the end of 2006. This will require them to begin building approximately 14 Bufallo per month which is a very significant ramp up of production. FPI has indicated that they may work with a partner on large future Bufallo contracts.

Some Statistics:
FPI's Sales
2003 -> $6.25 million
2004 -> $10.27 million
2005 -> $49.7 million

2006 Q1 -> $34.8 million
2006 Q2 prediction -> $49 million  ( * Solid low ball estimate based on production see note)
2006 Q3 prediction -> $58 million
2006 Q4 prediction -> $65 million

2007 conservitave Prediction $350 to $550 million

Note: FPI has announced 59 Cougar's and 6 Buffalo produced/delivered in Q2. These vehicles add up to around $49 to $52 million in revenue. In addition, FPI will get approximately $2 million in spare parts business. There are sometimes deliveries of additional vehicles not announced. Normal production of Buffalo vehicles would be 9 to 12. The lower production may be explained by the expansion of the production line for Cougar's and a draw down in man-power for the Buffalo lines. FPI is currently trying to hire an estimated 50 to 100 people based on it's employment adds many of which state multiple positions. If additional vehicles are delivered, then the revenue prediction would be low. BAE may pay a license fee to FPI in Q1 which would be additional revenue.

April Production announcement:
http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/060501/20060501005665.html?.v=1
May production announcement:
http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/060605/20060605005659.html?.v=1
June Production announcement:
http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/060703/20060703005185.html?.v=1

Employment Info:

http://www.forceprotection.net/about/employment.html?order=date_posted