Elbit Systems of America yesterday said it is bringing new life to surplus Army vehicles by refurbishing them for a role in peacekeeping at its Land Vehicle Center (LVC) in San Antonio, Texas.

“The highly-skilled personnel at the San Antonio Land Vehicle Center are putting vehicles that were collecting dust into peacekeeping roles around the world,” said Raanan Horowitz, Elbit Systems of America’s president and CEO. “When you see the before-and-after transformation of their workmanship, it’s simply remarkable.”

Vehicles In Restoration At Land Vehicle Center
Photo: Elbit Systems of America

The LVC takes non-operational military vehicles, with obsolete technology and unserviceable equipment, and completely refurbishes and restores them.

“Our expertise is giving new life to decades-old vehicles,” said Kurt Huff, vice president, Services and Support Solutions. “When an M113, Bradley, Humvee or other vehicle rolls out our door, it is fully mission capable. All our customer has to do is fuel up and connect the battery.”

The center consists of a 36,000-square-foot facility and a 30-acre test track where refurbished vehicles undergo a demanding series of tests to ensure they are mission-ready.

Its predominant customers are allied governments that purchase the surplus equipment from the U.S. government. Deploying refurbished vehicles allows these nations to increase their defense capabilities at a fraction of the cost newly manufactured vehicles would require, the company said in a statement.

By applying Lean Process initiatives and an adapted model of the aviation quality system, the LVC can deliver cost effective value to its customers without diminishing quality.

“Every component, every manual application, every step in the restoration process is inspected and re-inspected to make certain we’re maintaining an unparalleled level of quality and attention to detail,” Huff said. “In fact, one of our customer nations has taken the quality assurance practices they witnessed at our facility and applied them to their own operations.”

Elbit Systems of America LVC has a flexible work force of highly trained professionals that can meet even the most demanding challenges inherent with updating a vehicle that may be 50 or 60 years old, the statement said. Every member of the LVC team is cross-trained and specializes in two or three key services, and the facility can staff at levels ranging from 20 to 200 employees as required to meet customer needs.