December 19, 2007 -- British defence group BAE Systems said Wednesday that it has won a 1.1 billion-dollar (767-million-euro) order from the US government for military vehicles to protect US marines in Iraq.

BAE said in a statement that it would build 1,268 mine-resistant, ambush-protected (MRAP) vehicles at its US plants for delivery between May and July next year.

The contract follows a similar order in October from the Pentagon for 2,400 MRAP vehicles, also for use in Iraq, bringing the total value of BAE Systems' MRAP contracts to 2.24 billion dollars.

Source: Agence France Presse