MILITARY VEHICLE NEWS
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Apr 09. Sources close to BATTLESPACE suggest that Lockheed Martin UK has pulled out of the OUVS Small requirement.
01 May 09. The US Marines have requested engineers build a hardier off-road version of the mine-resistant ambush-protected (MRAP) vehicle for use in Afghanistan. Marine corps commandant James T Conway expressed the desire for an off-road version of the current MRAP vehicle to assist the 8,000 troops currently headed for Afghanistan. The 16t vehicle has proved itself by saving lives in Iraq but struggles on poor roads and is known to get bogged down in the Afghan terrain. Conway said that a prototype with independent wheel suspension had already been tested. “Unfortunately, initial modifications to the V-shaped hull reduced the vehicles resistance to roadside bombs. It didn’t work very well – the dummies inside all died,” Conway said. A newer modification process, however, has started with more positive results. “The long-term use of MRAPs in the marine corps is going to be very positive, and we can do it all at a fraction of the cost of pursuing a new line of vehicles,” said Conway. The marine corps currently has around 2,200 MRAPs in service. (Source: army-technology.com)
01 May 09. Navistar Defense, LLC today received a contract to deliver three test units for the next round in the U.S. Army’s Mine Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) All Terrain Vehicle (M-ATV) program. It is anticipated that production awards for the program could total volumes between 2,080 and 10,000 units. Navistar remains dedicated to the rapid delivery of these vehicles and stands ready to immediately begin producing large quantities of M-ATV units upon the Government’s direction. “Navistar’s participation in the M-ATV program is a privilege,” said Archie Massicotte, president, Navistar Defense. “We are dedicated to the warfighters and we will work with the military to ensure those in Afghanistan receive the very best vehicles as quickly as possible.” With more than 100 years of manufacturing and engineering experience, Navistar is able to rapidly start up new vehicle production to support those serving in harm’s way. Since 2007, Navistar has delivered more than 6,000 MRAP vehicles and has also responded to evolving in-theater threats by modifying its design to produce six MRAP variants, each with significant armoring design changes, during the first 18 months of the program. In February, the military celebrated the fielding of its 10,000th MRAP unit. “Navistar has long been designing its commercial work trucks, in mass quantities, on a per-customer basis as its core business,” said Massicotte. “Designing products for the military is no different.”
01 May 09. Force Dynamics, LLC, a joint venture between Force Protection, Inc. (NASDAQ: FRPT) and General Dynamics Land Systems, has been awarded an indefinite-delivery, indefinite-quantity (IDIQ) contract for the M-ATV Cheetah, a lightweight, high-mobility vehicle, by the U.S. Army Tank-Automotive and Armaments Command’s (TACOM) Mine Resistant Ambush Protected All Terrain Vehicle (M-ATV) program. The IDIQ con