Battelle to Transform Land Cruisers Into Armored Vehicles for State Department

Battelle will convert 229 units of standard Toyota Land Cruiser 200 series into armored vehicles as part of a blanket purchase agreement call placed by the State Department under a BPA awarded in 2020.

The Columbus, Ohio-headquartered research and development nonprofit said Monday it has been contracted to transform the standard SUVs into specialized armored platforms to support the department’s Diplomatic Security Service.

The ground systems team will conduct custom designs and incorporate complex systems intended to meet the DSS mission requirements. 

The deployment of the vehicles is slated to start in March 2022 and run through June 2023. 

The company worked on armored high mobility and multipurpose wheeled vehicles prior to producing specialized armored platforms.

“Battelle has a proven track record of performing sophisticated systems integration for military and commercial applications,” said George Lecakes, vice president and general manager for the company’s national security business.