U.S. Special Forces Get Armor-Plated Toyotas From Batelle

U.S. special operations forces are all over the world, and many of them drive pickup trucks — but not your run-of-the-mill pickup truck. These vehicles have been improved with as much as 3,000 pounds of add-ons.

According to Popular Mechanics, there are relatively few companies skilled enough to properly equip select civilian pickups with the necessary armored protection of our military teams. One such company is Battelle, which specializes in upgrading Toyota products (Land Cruiser SUVs, HiLux pickups and more) to make them much, much stronger and safer than their off-the-dealer-lot counterparts. In some cases, Battelle is replacing entire suspensions and frames, adding thickened steel to body panels and bulletproof glass, and installing satellite radios and tracking systems. And depending on how you calculate the cost, some of the modified vehicles are reported to be worth in excess of $300,000.