Force Protection Europe Selected as Preferred Bidder for U.K. Light Protected Patrol Vehicle

Initial Ocelot Vehicles Expected to be Delivered for Training in 2011

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LADSON, S.C.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Force Protection Europe Ltd (FPE) an indirectly wholly owned subsidiary of Force Protection, Inc. (NASDAQ:FRPT - News), a leading designer, developer and manufacturer of survivability solutions and provider of total life cycle support for those products, today announced that it has been selected by the United Kingdom (U.K.) Ministry of Defence (MoD) as the preferred bidder in the Light Protected Patrol Vehicle (LPPV) program. The initial Ocelot vehicles are expected to be available for the training of U.K. forces in 2011. Formal contract negotiations (including final determination of vehicle quantities and price) between FPE and the U.K. MoD will begin shortly.

Designed, developed and to be built in the U.K. by FPE and Ricardo plc for the LPPV program, Ocelot is the best protected and most agile vehicle of its kind. At an approximate gross vehicle weight of only 16,500 pounds, the Ocelot’s unique design allows crew and passengers to sit inside a protective pod made of advanced composite materials incorporating Formula One racing technology. Beneath the occupants critical components such as the engine, fuel tank and transmission are contained in a V shaped armored spine that deflects any potential blast away from the vehicle, and protecting these key components.

FPE’s Managing Director, David Hind, said, “This is excellent news for U.K. servicemen and women, and for the U.K. defense industry. Ocelot has been designed and developed in the U.K. from first principles, with our Team Ocelot partners, to save lives and protect against injury and to optimise maintenance and repairability. Working closely with Ricardo, our success is a tribute to the efforts of our ‘Best of British’ supply chain, including Thales, QinetiQ, Formaplex, the U.K. MoD’s Defence Support Group and Sula Systems.”

Michael Moody, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Force Protection, Inc. commented, “The success of Ocelot in the United Kingdom’s LPPV program is extremely important to our corporate strategy of providing a broad range of survivability solutions, including in tactical wheeled vehicle programs. Our family of vehicles has proven to save thousands of lives around the world and we look forward to providing Ocelots to help ensure British troops return safely from their missions. Clearly, we are proud of what the Force Protection Europe team and related partners have achieved with Ocelot.”

Mr. Moody concluded, “Internationally, Ocelot is expected to play a much larger role in providing potential customers a vehicle that incorporates not only a high degree of blast and ballistic protection but also superior mobility and maintainability – these levels are currently unequaled by any vehicle of its size on the battlefield. As such, we expect there could be significant demand for the Ocelot in the worldwide marketplace for years to come.”