Greg Blinkley (left) and Art Cann of North Charleston-based Protected Vehicles, Inc. prep the company's (Alpha) model Friday before its debut at the Modern Day Marine Military Exposition next week in Quantico, Va.

Unleashing the (ALPHA)
Protected Vehicles to unveil armored 8-seater at show

By Caroline Fossi
The Post and Courier

The (ALPHA) won't be doing laps at the Daytona 500 anytime soon.

But the new armored vehicle built by North Charleston-based Protected Vehicles Inc. features a special high-strength body that evolved from research done for NASCAR.

Protected Vehicles on Tuesday plans to unveil the eight-seat (ALPHA) at the Modern Day Marine Military Exposition, a Quantico, Va., show that brings together vendors of equipment, systems, services and technology.

The event offers a chance for high-ranking military brass and other decision-makers to "kick the tires" of new products, said Garth Barrett, founder and chief executive of Protected Vehicles. Barrett hopes the trade show will lead to government contracts for the (ALPHA), which has a starting price tag of $275,000, and other Protected Vehicles products.

Formed a year ago on the former Navy base in North Charleston, the 65-employee company is ready to enter full-scale production, he said.

Weighing in at seven tons, the (ALPHA) is built to be as tough as its namesake. What makes it stand out from other armored vehicles on the market, the manufacturer says, is a patented protective system called ShieldAll. It includes tough resin tiles that are one-third the weight of steel and can better withstand multiple hits than conventional materials, Barrett said.

Those tiles "increase the protection dramatically," he said. Their lighter weight also means vehicles are subject to less wear and tear, he said.

The resin material was developed by Battelle, a Columbus, Ohio-based research and development firm.

It stemmed from an energy-absorbing material the company originally developed for the professional stock-car racing industry, said Scott Versluis, commercialization manager for Battelle.

After legendary NASCAR driver Dale Earnhardt was killed in a race crash in 2001, officials began looking for a shock-absorbing material to put along the barrier walls at each track, he said.

NASCAR is now considering using Battelle's product along the "transition zone" between the tracks and pit row, where drivers service their cars during races, Versluis said.

The resin material Battelle created for Protected Vehicles also has shock-absorbing properties. It stretches, allowing it to retain its original shape after taking a beating - a bit like elastic-limbed Stretch Armstrong action figures of the 1970s, he said.

Protected Vehicles is hoping those qualities will help its mobile behemoths stand apart from the pack. Barrett formed the company in 2005 after leaving Ladson-based Force Protection Inc., which also makes blast-resistant vehicles. His privately held business is housed in a former ship-production and repair facility near North Charleston's Riverfront Park.

A native of the former Rhodesia, now Zimbabwe, Barrett gained expertise in land-mine issues and armored vehicle production during his service with the Special Air Service, and later the South African army. He moved to the Charleston area in 1999 and started Technical Solutions Group, which later was acquired by Force Protection.

Reach Caroline Fossi at cfossi@postandcourier.com or 937-5524.