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20 Oct 17. Textron expands US FMS deal for Afghan Army Mobile Strike Force Vehicles. Textron Systems Marine and Land Systems was awarded a USD333 million firm-fixed-price contract for up to 255 more Mobile Strike Force Vehicles (MSFVs) for the Afghan National Army. The deal includes “related fielding hardware and field representative services”, with specifics to be determined with each order and an estimated completion date of 13 October 2024, according to an 18 October Pentagon announcement. The latest deal includes “ordering periods into 2022” but no delivery orders have been awarded under it yet, Morgan Stritzinger, a Textron spokesperson, told Jane’s on 19 October. Future vehicles procured under the contract would “support the Afghanistan National Army’s (ANA) Defense and Security Forces”, Stritzinger said. (Source: IHS Jane’s)
19 Oct 17. BAE Systems Joins U.S. Navy to Mark 5,000th Upgraded Mine-Resistant Tactical Vehicle for U.S. and Coalition Forces. BAE Systems, in support of the U.S. Navy’s Space and Naval Warfare (SPAWAR) Systems Center Atlantic, has successfully upgraded the Command, Control, Communications, Computers, and Intelligence (C4I) capabilities on the 5,000th mine-resistant tactical vehicle for U.S. and allied forces. The important milestone comes as the U.S. Army, a SPAWAR customer, seeks to improve the mission capabilities of its tactical vehicle fleet and enhance situational awareness for soldiers.
The work is part of the Tactical Vehicle Engineering and Prototyping Support Services program through SPAWAR Systems Center Atlantic, based in Charleston, South Carolina, with the integration work taking place at BAE Systems’ facility in nearby Summerville. The C4I upgrades enhance vehicle communications systems, intercom systems, mobile network systems, and soldier protective systems on a variety of mine-resistant vehicles, including M-ATV vehicles, MaxxPro® DASH and Ambulances, and RG-31 platforms.
“Our experts ensure that rigorous quality standards are met when installing this equipment, because these technologies and communications systems must perform flawlessly when our soldiers are in harm’s way,” said Kris Busch, vice president of BAE Systems’ C4ISR and Electronic Systems business. “These vehicles are being redeployed throughout the world to support critical current and ongoing missions.”
The South Carolina Chamber of Commerce recently named BAE Systems as one of the 2017 Best Places to Work in South Carolina. The company has approximately 600 workers across the state supporting information technology services contracts and the welding and machining of combat vehicles, such as the Amphibious Combat Vehicle, Armored Multi-Purpose Vehicle, and Bradley family of vehicles. The company also recently announced plans to expand its manufacturing operations in Aiken, South Carolina to add more than 120 new jobs.
In addition to these critical C4I upgrades, BAE Systems over the years manufactured numerous mine-resistant vehicles, including RG-31s and RG-33s. Starting in the mid-2000s, the company produced more than 6,000 of these vehicles to support urgent military needs in Iraq and Afghanistan.
(Source: BUSINESS WIRE)
19 Oct 17. US Army Awards Unmanned Ground Robot Contract. The U.S. Army recently awarded the first in a wave of ground robot contracts that will replace older, less flexible platforms, one of several new service contracts for unmanned systems to assist with explosive ordnance disposal.
During recent conflicts, the Army purchased more than 7,000 unique robotic systems, said Bryan McVeigh, Army project manager for force protection. “That gave soldiers the capabilities they needed, and it was the right thing to do for the mission,” he said.
But those systems were not very flexible, he noted. “The robots often had just o