NTOA Armored Group BATT
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Thank you for participating in our “Member Tested and Recommended Products Program.” The BATT Family of Armored Tactical Vehicles has been tested and recommended by the members of the National Tactical Officers Association. Your overall score was a 4.69. The NTOA Member Tested and Recommended logo may be used solely on the specific product that was tested.
Since the review is completed, it will now be added to online Member Tested product database. To make the review complete, please send us a digital image of the product that has been tested. This is now listed on the NTOA’s Member Tested and Recommended online database and review will soon be published in The Tactical Edge journal.
Please contact Corey Luby at advertising@ntoa.org if you would like to advertise in The Tactical Edge journal. Once again, thank you for participating Member Tested and Recommended Program©.
Thank you,
Corey Luby
800-279-9127x120
The Armored Group, LLC
BATT Family of Armored Tactical Vehicles
Overall Score: 4.69
http://www.armoredcars.com
TESTER
We have used the product for three months. It is very versatile, and a vast improvement over the military surplus M113 that we had been using.
The company worked with us during the design and build phases of procurement. The diamond shaped gun ports allow for use of the optics that we have on all of our rifles. The sniper platform provides excellent protection and a good vantage point.
We have modified our policies and are now bringing our negotiators up with us in the vehicle. They run a cable through one of the ports to a loudspeaker mounted on the outside. That way they can observe the scene while negotiating with the suspect.
TESTER
This armored vehicle is one of the most practical armored vehicles we had looked at. The price was right and the size was perfect. It is bigger than LENCOS Bearcat and smaller than LENCOS Bear. In the Bearcat you can’t sit up straight in the back with your gear on to include helmet because it’s too small. In the BATT you can with full gear on. In the Bear you can’t go down alleys or turn around very easily in neighborhoods. In the BATT you can. The Armored Group really went out of their way to make this an exceptional vehicle for us. We got every bell and whistle we asked for and then some at a price of 50k cheaper. We have had no issues with this vehicle and would highly recommend its purchase to any law enforcement agency nationwide. We got steel from several companies to include the Armored Group and LENCO and shot it with .223, .308, 7.62 and .50 calibers. The results were the same. We are very pleased with this vehicle.
TESTER
My department recently purchased the BATT S or Ballistic Armored Tactical Transport Small Truck from The Armored Group. The BATT S has become one of the company’s most popular vehicles. It is extremely well priced, super dependable and rugged. The vehicle handles like a normal truck while driving on the roads or in dirt. With the optional 4x4 feature you will not get this thing stuck. I have driven the truck in sugar sand as well as on the beach without a fear of getting stuck. Another option is having a gas or diesel engine. We opted for the V8 turbo charged diesel engine. The vehicle can come with several different ballistic packages. We had our truck built with 1/4 inch ballistic armor which will handle up to 7.62mm round. With the entire vehicle being armored, including the hood, you will feel safe driving this into any situation.
I am able to fit up to 12 fully dressed out SWAT Team members inside the vehicle. There is additional room on the outside running boards to hold up to another 10 members. Inside the truck there are four split benches that double as storage. There is enough room to hold rams, halogens, rappel gear, chemical munitions, first aid supplies and anything else you would need on a callout.
The vehicle comes with a 32,000 BTU rear A/C unit that has its own controls for team members to adjust from the back. The vehicle is completely insulated to keep the internal temperatures cooler. Another addition we requested was that the roof be painted white to reflect the sun away. I can tell you that in South Florida heat you need this option. It really has paid off.
Some other features about the vehicle, it has a fixed roof hatch that is used as a turret (with shooting port), windows on both sides and the rear along with gun ports for officers to fire from, a collapsible internal step for the hatch, hand rails around the roof line for officers to hold onto, internal hand rails for officers to use while inside, an armored front push bar/grill and a second step down mounted to the rear running deck. There are a total of four doors on the vehicle: driver, passenger and two rear opening doors. The vehicle is designed to look like an Armored SWAT Vehicle so it would not blend in well for covert operation. In our city, people know when we roll up that we mean business. There is no denying who is coming when people see it.
One of the best parts about this vehicle has nothing to do with the vehicle, it’s with the company. The representatives that I have met are extremely professional and were attentive to our needs. We were on a limited budget and they were willing to work with us on every aspect of this vehicle. They bent over backwards to earn our business and it shows with the quality of work they have turned out as well as after the sale. We were one of the first to purchase this type of vehicle and have had to make minor modifications that are now standard on their most recent vehicles. They have worked extremely hard to make sure our vehicle was retrofitted to meet the new standards. To date we have not needed to make any repairs to the vehicle. I can’t say enough good things about this product, company or experience.
If you are on a limited budget and you need a good vehicle, this is the company to look at and this is the vehicle to purchase. Grant writing assistance is also available through the company.
