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Arotech's MDT Forms Joint Venture
in India for
Armored Vehicles
– Teams with armor materials
supplier MKU and vehicle body builder JN Group to create Concord
Safety Solutions Limited–
January
30, 2006 - Arotech Corporation (NasdaqNM: ARTX) announced today
that its Armor Division has entered into a joint venture with two
prominent Indian companies for the design and manufacture of armored
vehicles in India. The joint venture – Concord Safety Solutions
Limited – will offer armored vehicles to the Indian military
and paramilitary organizations.
The companies forming Concord
Safety Solutions are MKU PVT Limited, the JN Group and MDT Armor
Corporation.
MKU is one of India's leading
manufacturer and defense contractor for ballistic protection solutions
for individual and vehicle protection. Its leading stature is a
result of in-house capability to process composite materials and
to design customized solutions for its customers. First-hand expertise
and top-grade resources enable MKU to produce hard and soft armor
that conform to the highest quality standards.
The JN Group began its operations
as an automobile dealership in 1933. In time it has become India's
largest automotive body builder. Its portfolio also includes the
manufacture of vehicle parts, tire re-treading, and vehicle maintenance.
It also manages one of the largest networks of commercial vehicle
dealerships in India.
The new armored vehicle company,
Concord, will be launched at DefExpo 2006 – the 4th Land and
Naval Systems Exhibition – that will take place in New Delhi,
India, from January 31 to February 3, 2006.
"We are proud to have MDT
as our partner for armored vehicles in India," said Manoj Gupta,
MKU's Managing Director. “MDT's technology and experience,
combined with our strong composite armor materials technology and
JN's automotive capabilities form a perfect basis for Concord Safety
Solutions."
"As the biggest vehicle body
builder in India, we have often been asked to supply armored vehicles",
said Vineet Chandra, Managing Director, JN group. “We have
decided to form Concord with MKU and MDT, so that we can offer our
customers armored vehicles based on cutting edge technology."
"With our partners MKU and
JN Group, Concord is well positioned to move into the emerging market
for armored vehicles in India,” said Steven Esses, President
and Chief Operating Officer, Arotech Corporation. “This is
our first entry into the defense market in India, which holds great
potential for Concord, MDT and Arotech."
About Arotech's Armor Division
Arotech’s Armor Division
is an innovative leader in lightweight armoring for vehicles and
aircraft. The Armor Division has years of battlefield and commercial
protection experience and has provided life saving protection under
the most extreme conditions. In addition to armoring vehicles for
military and commercial customers, Arotech manufactures aviation
armor both for helicopters and for fixed wing aircraft, marine armor,
personnel armor and fragmentation blankets.
The Armor Division consists of
MDT Armor Corporation, MDT Protective Industries Ltd. and Armour
of America Incorporated.
About Arotech Corporation
Arotech Corporation is a leading
provider of quality defense and security products for the military,
law enforcement and security markets, including multimedia interactive
simulators/trainers, lightweight armoring and advanced zinc-air
and lithium batteries and chargers. Arotech operates through three
major business divisions: Armor, Simulation and Security and Batteries
and Power Systems.
Arotech is incorporated in Delaware,
with corporate offices in Auburn, Alabama, and research, development
and production subsidiaries in Alabama, Colorado, Michigan, California
and Israel.
Except for the historical information
herein, the matters discussed in this news release include forward-looking
statements, as defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform
Act of 1995, including the results of our restructuring program.
Forward-looking statements reflect management’s current knowledge,
assumptions, judgment and expectations regarding future performance
or events. Although management believes that the expectations reflected
in such statements are reasonable, readers are cautioned not to
place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, as they
are subject to various risks and uncertainties that may cause actual
results to vary materially. These risks and uncertainties include,
but are not limited to, risks relating to: product and technology
development; the uncertainty of the market for Arotech’s products;
changing economic conditions; delay, cancellation or non-renewal,
in whole or in part, of contracts or of purchase orders; Arotech’s
ability to remain listed on the Nasdaq Stock Market in accordance
with the Nasdaq’s $1.00 minimum bid price and other continued
listing standards; dilution resulting from issuances of Arotech’s
common stock upon conversion or payment of its outstanding convertible
debt, which would be increasingly dilutive if and to the extent
that the market price of Arotech’s stock decreases; and other
risk factors detailed in Arotech’s most recent Annual Report
on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2004, as amended,
and other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Arotech
assumes no obligation to update the information in this release.
Reference to the Company’s website above does not constitute
incorporation of any of the information thereon into this press
release.
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