Quote:
Originally Posted by cawest
I was in slidell, LA a few years back. that was were they were going mass produce the Stingray tank. production was to be up 25 per month. Now the hard part would be the 105mm cannons. Does anyone know about a tank planet that ran in the 80's in CA. Camdon AR also makes the M270 MLRS. this could be converted to M2/3 production. what about the Cat and John Deer production lines. the last two would not make "front line" weapons, but second line would be do able and spare parts would not be a problem they had shipped them all over the world. I think Henry rifles could change into production (a few hundred a month maybe more) of more modern designs. does anyone know how many armored car companies there are (the bank kind and the VIP SUVs types). how about 3/4 or 1 ton trucks production with M40 106mm. As older tanks take the field these will become usable, along with say Gatling (20mm? 12.7, 7.62, or 5.56) twin 50 cals with side good RHA would be a great gun truck.
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I'm not sure what types of privately armored vehicles you might encounter after the exchange, but there are a dozen private companies armoring "EXEC PROTECT" vehicles in the US (ordinary looking cars and SUVs). As for Commercial Armored Cars, there are three large companies that provide 80% of all the Armored Cars in use in the US. The vehicles they produce will range in size from E350 (Ford)/3500 (GM) vans to "Y" bodies (popularized by GARDA) to the ubiquitous "B" body (introduced by Brinks) seen in movies like Heat, Armed & Dangerous, and The Book of Eli.
The "big three" armored car builders are:
LENCO Armoring of Pittsfield MA
MCT of Memphis TN (primary builder of Brinks "B bodies")
Texas Armoring of San Antonio TX (primary builder of GARDA "Y bodies" and both GARDA and LOOMIS "B bodies")
The most common types of Commercial Armored Cars are:
Lights: Built on E350/3500 vans, these weigh between 9,000 and 12,000 pounds and are armored to NIJ Level 3A. They will have no more than 2000lbs of cargo capacity and are primarily used in cities. The Dodge Sprinter is also included in this class of vehicle. These vehicles are not very durable.
"Y" Bodies: These trucks are built on 11/2 ton to 2 1/2 ton frames. They run as high as 20,000lbs GVW. They will run NIJ Level 3A in protection, require a DOT medical card to drive and can carry up to 3000lbs. They are not as common as "B" bodies but are more common than Lights.
"B" Bodies: The most common armored car in the US. Unlike "Y" bodies, which may be called by other names/designations, EVERYONE calls these trucks "B" Bodies. They were created by Brinks DECADES ago and are the most common truck seen in movies as well as on the road. They are built on the same chassis that the Army's 5-Tons commercial and school buses are (yes, school bus chassis are REALLY tough). The majority are armored with Aluminum armor to NIJ Level3 (rifle). The Loomis truck that rescued the wounded in LA's 44 Minute Shootout shrugged off several 7.62mm X 39mm rounds during the incident. Windows are often downgraded to NIJ Level3A to save money. I'd say 6 in 10 "B" bodies have 3A windows. The truck maxes out at 26,000 lbs (to stay under CDL requirements) with a 5,000lb cargo capacity.
"Super B" Armored Cars: These "stretched B Bodies" are about 4ft longer than a "B" and exceed 30,000lbs (making them Class B CDL trucks). They are NIJ Level3 (rifle) and used as FED pickup trucks or in high threat environments (like LA and Detroit).
It is standard practice for these vehicles to be equipped (at least initially) with run-flat tires, and self-sealing coolant systems which allow the vehicle to escape a kill zone with the tires or radiator shot up. Many will be equipped with armored push bars over their grills and gun ports too.
Those are the most commonly encountered commercial armored cars I encountered during my 10-year stint with Great Lakes Armored (now Loomis) and Fidelity Armored (no longer in business...like 99% of small armored car companies after the 2008 Collapse). You can GOOGLE the armored car companies for more info. They often have a selection of used vehicles to choose from.