It is constructed of AR500 steel, and incorporates angled walls and a v-hull chassis to deflect the blast waves produced by explosives.

There are two top-side egress hatches, five gun ports (two on each side and one in rear), and bullet resistant glass windows, capable of NIJ level 3 protection.

Blackwater USA submitted two Grizzly APC vehicles to the U.S. military, with EXO Scale anti-EFP appliqué armor from ARES Systems Group, for the MRAP II competition at the Aberdeen Proving Ground.

Blackwater had been hoping to discuss adding more armor to the forward area and threatened an automatic protest but it was disregarded, according to an Army Times source.

The current versions are built on a custom chassis supplied by Seagrave Fire Apparatus, Clintonville, Wisconsin.