Escape windows for military vehicles

25 August 2009

BAE Systems will supply Vehicle Emergency Escape (VEE) windows for M1151 Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicles (HMMWVs) under a contract with AM General.

According to BAE Systems, the patent-pending VEE Window technology enables soldiers to quickly exit the vehicle in the event of an emergency, such as a rollover or accident, by releasing and pushing out the front window.

The total potential value of this indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity contract is up to $89m (£54m).

‘For the first time, the VEE Window will be incorporated into AM General’s M1151 HMMWV production line,’ said Mark Signorelli, vice president and general manager of New Vehicles and Amphibious Systems. ‘This life-saving technology as standard on the HMMWV platform is another step in our commitment to Warfighter safety in an unpredictable environment.’

The VEE Window is part of the US Army’s Fragmentation Kit Seven, which is a set of so-called survivability upgrades to already fielded M1151 HMMWVs.

This contract raises the total orders for VEE Window kits to more than 29,000, with more than 10,000 kits already shipped.

Work on the VEE Window order will be carried out at BAE Systems and industrial partner facilities in Minneapolis, Minnesota and Butler, Pennsylvania.

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