Obama's new limo to have heavy armor, blood bank, night vision

[Ghost in the Machine]

Obama's new limo to have heavy armor, blood bank, night vision
Posted: Jul 04, 2013 3:19 PM EDT
Updated: Jul 04, 2013 3:19 PM EDT


(NBC) - President Barack Obama is looking for a new ride.

Not that his current limousine – dubbed "The Beast" or "Cadillac One" – isn't faring well, but it's a 2009 model, which he takes wherever he travels, and the Department of Homeland Security says it's time for an upgrade.

Designed to look like a 2008 Cadillac DTS, The Beast is a hybrid that reportedly blends Caddy components with the guts of a Chevrolet Kodiak commercial truck – but with heavy armor. Such heavy armor that the car reportedly weighs 7.5 tons.

The armor includes 8-inch plates capable of stopping an improvised explosive device, or IED, and 5-inch multi-layer windows that make the doors as heavy as those on a 757 jet. The car is sealed against biochemical attacks.

Although details of the presidential limo are classified for security reasons, various reports say that it features James Bond-style options, including a night vision system. It also carries communications gear and, in the trunk, a blood bank matching the president's type.

http://www.wrcbtv.com/story/22762080/obamas-new-limo-to-have-heavy-armor-blood-bank-night-vision

[GeorgeGist]

1. Kinda boring, to me.

[graham4anything]

2. Cool! Too bad JFK didn't have this in 1963. The more security there is, the safer for me & everyone.

[darkangel218]

3. I dont believe you'll be riding in that limo?

[graham4anything]

4. as Benjamin Franklin said "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure". nt

[darkangel218]

5. Fair enough.

What about a pound of "prevention", is that worth an ounce of "cure'??

[darkangel218]

6. And dont get me wrong, im glad POTUS has a safe ride.

[Skip Intro]

15. An argument for gun ownership?

[bike man]

8. The top being down would have negated some of that security stuff. You would have been safe

in the street though.

[LuvNewcastle]

7. That car must have one hell of an engine.

The article says it uses diesel, which surprises me a little. I thought it would run on jet fuel, considering the weight of those doors.

[davidpdx]

9. It would have to have a pretty big engine with that kind of weight

Could be a V-12

[backscatter712]

10. That car is actually a truck disguised as a car.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Presidential_state_car_(United_States)

It's built on the frame of a Chevy Kodiak truck.

[galileoreloaded]

11. Where do they keep the integrity, just in case its needed? Nt

[kelliekat44]

12. With all the hate against him and all the guns out there...is this enough? nt

[sir pball]

16. It's fine. Nothing in civilian hands could even bust a taillight

The thing is armored against IEDs, shoulder-launched missiles, and 20mm cannon fire. Nothing even the most fervent wannabe-Revolutionary Teabagging Bibble-thumper could get their hands on, or build, would even come close.

[RC]

13. And yet it can not even get across a speed bump.

[LuvNewcastle]

14. That's one hell of a design flaw.

I don't think it would be able to travel that fast, either. Wouldn't it be important that the car is able to speed away in case of trouble? Maybe they need to put him in an Escalade or a Navigator.