September 9, 2007: A Canadian firm (Armet Armored Vehicles Ltd. ) has joined the growing list of organizations that convert commercial trucks into armored combat vehicles. In this case, a Ford F550 truck chassis is converted into a bullet proof, and blast resistant, combat SUV. Armet calls it the Gurkha LAV (Light Armored Vehicle). The 8.6 ton vehicle has a top road speed of 150 kilometers an hour. The vehicle can carry two tons of cargo. It has a gun turret, and sits four. Armet actually sells a conversion kit. You can buy the F550 from a Ford dealer, and have truck mechanics install the kit. For dealers are found all over the planet, which simplifies support. The Gurkha kit is aimed at police organizations and armed forces with tight budgets. Usually, armored trucks cost over half a million dollars. But the Gurkha can be had for about $200,000, and not cost you a lot of money to maintain. Many countries, including Canada and the United States have bought the Gurkha for use in combat zones.