Red Dot Producing Air Conditioners
for Armored FMTV Cabs

Seattle company supplying Stewart & Stevenson with units designed for factory installation

SEATTLE (Jan. 14, 2005) -- Red Dot Corp. has started production of factory-installed heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) units for the U.S. Army's Family of Medium Tactical Vehicles (FMTV), the backbone of the military's transportation system.

The air conditioning systems are designed for the Low Signature Armored Cab (LSAC) developed by Stewart & Stevenson Tactical Vehicle Systems LP. They are being assembled in Seattle and installed into completed cabs at Stewart & Stevenson's factory in Sealy, Texas. The cabs can be integrated into the FMTV production line in Sealy or shipped directly to Iraq where they can be mounted to a chassis. Stewart & Stevenson estimates delivery of 385 air-conditioned LSACs by Feb. 28, 2005.

"We've combined our success designing and building add-on air-conditioning units for the extreme conditions in Iraq with our experience producing rugged, factory-installed units for construction and mining vehicles," said Randy Gardiner, president of Red Dot. "The result is a factory-installed unit for the FMVT that's durable, highly serviceable, and meets the space constraints of an in-dash installation."

Air conditioning is necessary because the cab interior of a steel armor-plated vehicle in Iraq can become extremely hot, with temperatures exceeding 130 degrees Fahrenheit.

"Soldiers in armored FMTVs need to be as safe and comfortable as possible," Gardiner said. "With high-capacity evaporators and condensers, as well as spot-cooling -- using ducts to deliver air to each individual soldier in the vehicle -- Red Dot air conditioners are capable of lowering the temperature inside the cab by up to 40 degrees F."

Red Dot is the primary supplier of add-on air conditioning units for U.S. Army vehicles with field-installed armor kits. Since March 2004, Red Dot has produced nearly 10,000 add-on air-conditioning units for the U.S. Army's High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicles (HMMWV, or "humvee") deployed in Iraq. In October, the company received an order from the U.S. Army to supply 5,500 additional air-conditioning units for HMMWVs and other vehicles fitted with armor in the field.

Since 1988, Stewart & Stevenson has built more than 25,000 FMTV trucks and trailers. Its Low Signature Armored Cab is designed to protect occupants during direct small arms fire attack, artillery airburst, land mine strike, or attack from Improvised Explosive Devices (IED). The FMTV family of vehicles has two basic platforms, a four-wheel-drive 2-1/2 ton vehicle and a six-wheel-drive 5-ton vehicle. It is the largest payload capacity U.S. Army truck transportable in a C-130 aircraft.

ABOUT RED DOT

Red Dot is a worldwide leader in the design and production of heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems and replacement parts for commercial trucks, buses, and vehicles used in construction, mining, agriculture, fire and rescue, and military service. The company was founded in Seattle, Wash., in 1965 and now has 430 employees at three locations in the United States and Europe. Visit Red Dot at www.rdac.com.

Contacts:

Robert Gardiner, Red Dot Corp. - 206-574-6567

The Siefkes Group - 425-392-2611