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29 Jul 14. Egyptian BTR-50 upgrade close to completion. Egyptian OT-62s flank a M113 APC. Valery Hrabenshchykow, the director general of Belarus’ Minotor-Service, told the BelaPAN news agency on 12 July that his company has nearly completed a USD100m contract to upgrade 500 Egyptian BTR-50s, saying only 20 vehicles have yet to be modernised. Hrabenshchykow did not detail the upgrade package, but Minotor is currently promoting a BTR-50PKM package that includes a UTD-201S diesel engine and transmission module that increases the power-to-weight ratio and speed, while reducing fuel and oil consumption. The upgraded vehicle also includes a new set of day and night sensors. The tracked APC entered service with Soviet forces in the 1950s and was used by some Egyptian units to cross the Suez Canal during the 1973 war with Israel. Hrabenshchykow also revealed that Minotor is bidding to upgrade an unspecified number of the Egyptian Army’s Czechoslovakian-built OT-62 APCs. The OT-62 is very similar to the BTR-50, but has several differences, including a small turret for a 7.62mm machine gun and an externally mounted recoilless gun. The Ukrainian newspaper Business Capital reported in August 2012 that Egypt was close to signing a USD50m contract that would see Ukraine’s Malyshev Plant and Kharkiv Engine Design Bureau upgrade 200 OT-62s. (Source: IHS Jane’s)
30 Jul 14. Brazil adds BAE Systems’ RG32M to VBMT-LR competition. The Brazilian Army has begun evaluating BAE Systems Land Systems South Africa’s RG32M LTV (Light Tactical Vehicle) 4×4. The army’s Evaluations Center (CAEx) is studying the vehicle as part of the VBMT-LR (Viatura Blindada Multitarefa-Leve de Rodas) competition. The VBMT-LR programme will buy an initial 32 lightweight multi-purpose wheeled armored vehicles by the end of this year. Local trials for the vehicles are scheduled to end on 31 July. Vehicles evaluated so far also include Iveco Defence Vehicles LMV, Avibras Tupi (based on Renault Trucks Defense’s Sherpa Light Scout), and Inbraland Gladiador BLSR (based on an Agrale Marruá chassis) vehicles. (Source: IHS Jane’s)
25 Jul 14. Solicitation Number: W56HZV-LRV-09-15-2014. Added: Jul 24, 2014 10:20 am Modified: Jul 25, 2014 6:27 am. Light Reconnaissance Vehicle (LRV) Platform Performance Demonstration (PPD). Request for Information (RFI). Message to Industry: The US ARMY will approach industry in order to possibly enhance its Infantry Brigade Combat (IBCT) Team by providing a Light Reconnaissance Vehicle (LRV) capability in the form of a Commercial Off The Shelf/Modified Commercial Off The Shelf/Government Off The Shelf (COTS/MOTS/GOTS) light armor- quote mark CH-47 internal transportable quote mark – quote mark light vehicle quote mark to support the Global Response Force (GRF) forced-entry mission set. Interested partners should look at readily COTS/MOTS/GOTS Light Vehicles with lethality capability of defeating and engaging hardened enemy bunkers, light armored vehicles, and dismounted personnel in machine gun and sniper positions with the capability of being transported internal and external sling load from a CH-47. Consider such things as commonality, and modularity of proposed solutions among the Infantry Brigade Combat Team while ensuring the solution is transportable (internal/external sling load) by CH-47. This Platform Performance Demonstration (PPD) effort would take approximately one week at Ft. Bragg in mid October 2014. Vendors both domestic and international are encouraged to respond.
All information provided will be used by the U.S. Government only.
OBJECTIVES:
The US ARMY TARDEC-RDECOM team has drafted this Request for Information (RFI) in an effort to gather needed information from potential interested companies in order to support the LRV Initiative to improve their IB