BAE Systems has secured a $715m (£357m) order from the US government to supply nearly 1,500 mine-resistant vehicles in a further sign of the company’s push into the country’s lucrative defence market.

Britain’s largest defence contractor has invested heavily in the US in recent years. It bought United Defense Industries, the maker of Bradley fighting vehicles, for $4bn in 2005, and Armor Holdings last year for $4.5bn. The acquisitions have helped BAE win a series of orders for new vehicles as well as for repair and upgrading work.