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The newest truck in New Orleans is bigger than a Hummer. Its half- inch thick armor can thwart machine-gun fire. And the seven-ton vehicle can quickly cover city streets.
Textron Systems Marine & Land Operations in New Orleans division is manufacturing a truck called the Cadillac Gage Peacekeeper II, but don't expect to find it at any dealership.
The Peacekeeper II, a modified version of a military tanker used by the U.S. Air Force, is being marketed to law enforcement agencies across the country to fight increasingly well-armed criminals in high-crime areas. Headquartered in Wilmington, Mass., Textron designs and builds military aircraft, and marine and land vehicles. Textron reported $10.7 billion in revenue for fiscal year 2002.
The company hopes to build 200 of the $170,000 Peacekeeper II vehicles this year. It takes 15 to 50 workers to build each one, said Clay Moise, Textron's vice president of marine and combat vehicles.
The first commercial version of the truck rolled off assembly lines in March. Now a prototype is on the trade show circuit, making stops...