BAE Systems will showcase the armoured Toyota HiLux and a gunner protection kit demonstrator at the International Defence Exhibition & Conference (Idex) 2009 in Abu Dhabi.

Idex 2009, which opened today (February 22) at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre, will end on February 26.

The armoured vehicle display, said to be the first of its kind in the Middle East, will highlight BAE Systems’ armour integration and survivability capabilities.

'We invest in the research and development of innovative armour solutions that address the latest threats faced by our customers in the governmental, defense and commercial sectors,” said Tony Russell, president of BAE Systems’ security and survivability systems. “The global need for light-weight, cost-effective, ultra-reliable armour solutions is ever increasing and we are committed to fulfilling this need.”

The Toyota HiLux is just one of the commercial vehicle models BAE Systems armours to provide protection from various levels of ballistic and IED threats. Commercial armuored vehicles utilise many of the same technologies and systems as those incorporated in the armoured military vehicles.

These products are designed to be inconspicuous and cannot be distinguished from their unarmoured counterparts, providing extra security to the occupants. BAE Systems has a rich heritage in commercial armoured vehicles that dates back to the 1940s when the company designed its first armoured vehicle for President Harry S. Truman. The company is now the largest commercial armoured vehicle supplier to the US government and has produced more than 13,000 of these vehicles.

BAE Systems’ gunner protection kits are an example of BAE Systems’ ability to provide various survivability components, such as turrets, battery powered motorised traversing units and door assist systems for a range of ground-vehicles. 

These systems, and many others, are used on many of BAE Systems’ vehicles and products and are also sold to other defence contractors and original equipment manufacturers. This capability is showcased by the component demonstrator on display.

BAE Systems’ expertise in vehicle armouring expands to a wide range of commercial and military platforms, including light, medium and heavy tactical vehicles, combat vehicles and even construction equipment. The company has provided protection for more than 20,000 up-armoured high mobility multi-purpose wheeled vehicles, more than 4,000 medium tactical vehicles and more than 3,600 mine resistant ambush protected vehicles currently in operation in Iraq and Afghanistan.

BAE Systems is vertically integrated to provide its own light-weight material solutions in the areas of composite, ceramic and transparent armour technologies which are currently being integrated on BAE Systems’ vehicle platforms and on platforms of other global defense contractors. – TradeArabia News Service