Force Protection Announces Order for Italian Ministry of DefenseLast update: 2/22/2008 8:20:01 AM-- Receives $8 Million Order For Cougar and Buffalo Vehicles -- LADSON, S.C., Feb 22, 2008 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Force Protection, Inc. (FRPT) today announced that it has received an order for six Cougar 6X6 troop transport vehicles and four Buffalo route clearance vehicles for the Italian Ministry of Defense. Under the contract, vehicle production will be performed exclusively by Force Protection at its Ladson, SC facility and is scheduled for completion by July 2008, with spare parts and field support coverage continuing through mid 2009. Michael Moody, Chairman and Interim Chief Executive Officer of Force Protection, commented, "There is, across the world, a community of nations that recognizes that their finest men and women either are now or will eventually serve in harm's way. These nations also clearly want to provide those same soldiers the very best equipment possible to protect them and enable them to complete their missions. We are proud today to announce an additional foreign military sales order for the Italian Ministry of Defense for just such purposes. We believe that this order further underscores a sizable international opportunity for our technology and our products." About Force Protection, Inc. Force Protection, Inc. is a leading American designer, developer and manufacturer of life saving survivability equipment, predominantly ballistic- and blast-protected wheeled vehicles currently deployed by the U.S. military and its allies to support armed forces and security personnel in conflict zones. The Company's specialty vehicles, the Cougar and the Buffalo, and the Cheetah, are designed specifically for reconnaissance, forward command and control, and urban operations and to protect their occupants from landmines, hostile fire, and improvised explosive devices (IEDs, commonly referred to as roadside bombs). The Company is one of the original developers and primary providers of vehicles for the U.S. military's Mine Resistant Ambush Protected, or MRAP, vehicle program. For more information on Force Protection and its vehicles, visit .