Web Page sponsored by MILLBROOK
Millbrook, based in Bedfordshire, UK, makes a significant contribution to the quality and performance of military vehicles worldwide. Its specialist expertise is focussed in two distinct areas: test programmes to help armed services and their suppliers ensure that their vehicles and systems work as the specification requires; and design and build work to upgrade new or existing vehicles, evaluate vehicle capability and investigate in-service failures. Complementing these is driver and service training and a hospitality business that allows customers to use selected areas of Millbrookâs remarkable facilities for demonstrations and exhibitions.
Tel: +44 (0) 1525 408408
www.millbrook.co.uk/military
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21 Jan 11. The same three industry teams that competed during the first round of the U.S. Army’s Ground Combat Vehicle (GCV) program have submitted new bids, industry officials confirmed. Bids for the program are due Jan. 21. All three teams submitted bids last spring under the Army’s first request for proposals (RfP). In August, the Army withdrew that RfP and issued a revised request in November. A team led by General Dynamics Land Systems that includes Lockheed Martin and Raytheon is submitting a bid, a General Dynamics official confirmed Jan. 20. An SAIC-led team that includes Boeing, Krauss-Maffei Wegmann and Rheinmetall
Defence is submitting a bid that builds on SAIC and Boeing experience with the Future Combat Systems Manned Ground Vehicle effort and the German Puma Infantry Fighting Vehicle (IFV).
“The Puma is the only production-ready IFV designed from the ground up since Sept. 11, 2001, and incorporates the lessons of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan,” SAIC said in a Jan. 21 statement.
Finally, BAE Systems and Northrop Grumman have paired up to offer a
hybrid-electric drive vehicle. When the new RfP was released, the BAE-Northrop team considered everything, “but when you looked at the requirements, it was clear that hybrid-electric drive still offers many advantages and facilitates the technology integration challenges,” said Mark Signorelli, vice president and general manager of Ground
Combat Vehicles at BAE Systems, in a December interview.
Advanced Defense Vehicle Systems, a small Michigan-based business whose GCV bid was rejected during the original proposal solicitation, reviewed the service’s plans and decided to withdraw from the second round of competition, company officials said Jan. 18. The Army plans to award up to three technology development contracts in
April. (Source: Defense News)
25 Jan 11. The U.S. Marine Corps’ latest-generation Expeditionary Fighting Vehicle (EFV) prototypes have completed the required 500-hour reliability growth test at the Marine Corps’ Amphibious Vehicle Test Branch, Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, Calif., demonstrating reliability that exceeds the testing threshold by 90 percent. The raw score performance of the vehicles in the reliability testing is 31.2 hours mean time between operational mission failure, nearly double the 16.4-hour performance required for test success. In addition, vehicle operational readiness rates steadily remained at 97 percent throughout testing. General Dynamics delivered seven new prototype vehicles to the Marine Corps in 2010. Reliability growth testing began in October 2010. The vehicles’ performance indicates the program is on track to successfully complete the System Development and Demonstration-2 phase.
All reported preliminary failures are low-consequence issues, a tribute to the rigor and commitment of the EFV team, and the most significant aspect of this testing. No systems redesign work is required as a result of test findings. These indicate significant endorsement of the “design for reliability” concept and processes, as well as the General Dynamics Land Systems team’s capabilities and discipline. The EFV progr