Image via Cadillac
The United States Secret Service recently announced President Trump could soon be rolling around in an armored Cadillac Escalade to help protect him from potential threats. In a way, it could be far cooler than the presidential limousine lovingly called “The Beast,” a sedan-like vehicle that was actually built on a commercial truck chassis to accommodate its 15,000 lbs.-plus curb weight.
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This news comes after Secret Service Director Sean Curran met with GM executives in Michigan to talk about innovating on armored SUVs for the president. In other words, as technologies continue to evolve, the design of the presidential limo needs to as well.
For now, President Trump often, although not always, travels in an armored Chevy Suburban. GM has been making presidential limousines for the past several decades, a relationship set to continue.
In fact, a report from Reuters says back in September GM was awarded a $14.8 million contract to develop the next-gen presidential limo. It’s not been specified when that vehicle, which appears to be an Escalade, will go into service.
We also don’t know all the designs and technologies included in the Cadillac SUV, for obvious reasons. One would assume there are countermeasures for not only high-powered small arms fire but also drone attacks, among other measures which might be deployed to threaten the life of the head of the United States Executive Branch.
In a post on Facebook, the United States Secret Service said the agency will “continue to explore emerging technologies to ensure our armored vehicles provide the highest level of safety for our protectees.”
Considering the evolution of warfare we’re seeing roll out between Ukraine and Russia, combined with increasing technological threats from China, undoubtedly the concern is The Beast’s old design leaves chinks in the armor which could be exploited.
Image via Cadillac
