The M1117 is said to provide significant crew protection and will be used in the Bulgarian mission in Afghanistan. Photo by textronmarineandland.com
Bulgaria has signed an agreement to buy seven armoured security vehicles (ASV) from US company Textron.
The company announced that the contract, valued at approximately USD 10.2 M, includes the anticipated delivery of the M1117 vehicles in the first quarter of 2008.
The machines will be used by the Bulgarian mission in Afghanistan.
"We are happy to offer the safety, efficiency and reliability of the ASV to Bulgaria and its effort to support peace operations in Afghanistan," said Textron Marine and Land Systems General Manager Tom Walmsley, as cited by the company's web site.
The contract includes two years of technical support on the vehicles, as well as a framework contract which allows the Ministry of Defense to purchase additional ASVs in the M1117 base configuration, or variants with modifications needed to carry out various missions.
According to experts, the 4X4 wheeled vehicle offers significant crew protection through the employment of multiple layers of armour, providing defence against small arms fire, artillery projectile fragments, and land mines.