thedrifter
04-06-07, 03:27 PM
Some firms miss MRAP prototype deadlines
By Kimberly Johnson - Staff writer
Posted : Friday Apr 6, 2007 12:41:19 EDT
The Corps is considering possible contract changes for manufacturers who have missed the first testing deadline to provide prototypes for hardened blast-resistant vehicles meant to be rapidly pushed out to Marines in Iraq.
The service issued nine “indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity” contracts to manufacturers in January for the assembly of 36 Mine Resistant Ambush Protected vehicles slated to begin testing March 27. Of the nine companies, three submitted their test vehicles early, and two are within 10 days of the deadline, said Bill Johnson-Miles, spokesman for Marine Corps System Command at Quantico, Va.
One company was a month behind and will deliver its vehicle to Aberdeen Proving Grounds, Md., by April 26, he added.
And one is a no-show all together.
“One of the nine manufacturers notified the MRAP program office of their inability to deliver due to technical issues with their design,” Johnson-Miles said.
“Technically, none of the companies requested extensions and none were granted,” he said. “We are evaluating contractual remedies for those instances where delivery deadlines were missed based on the merits of the delays.”
Johnson-Miles could not say what those remedies might be but said they could include an order modification. He would not name the contractors who have missed the deadlines.
While the ripple effect of the delays in receiving MRAP vehicles for testing and evaluation are unclear, they won’t hold up progress with the other manufacturers who met the March 27 deadline, Johnson-Miles said.
Once delivered to Aberdeen Proving Grounds, vehicles undergo six weeks of testing.
“We won’t make fielding and production recommendations until testing is complete,” Johnson-Miles said. “The faster we can get manufacturers to make vehicles, the faster they will get out to Marines.”
The Marine Corps is the lead agency for all the services in the rapid procurement of MRAP vehicles, which feature a V-shaped hull that deflects the blast of roadside bombs that detonate underneath. MRAP demand for all services and U.S. Special Operations Command could reach 7,700 vehicles and cost about $8.4 billion, Johnson-Miles said.
The Corps’ top commander told lawmakers on Capitol Hill on March 28 that the service officials made the decision to increase its initial order of about 1,000 MRAPs to 3,700 vehicles after witnessing its performance on the battlefield.
“[W]hat we discovered was that the same blast under these MRAP vehicles were having much less impact on Marines and sailors who were ... riding in the vehicles,” Commandant Gen. James Conway told the Senate Appropriations defense subcommittee. “[They were] about 400 percent more likely to survive a blast that would literally take out an up-armored Humvee,” he said.
“We think it’ll significantly cut our casualties to this particular form of attack,” he added.
Ellie
By Kimberly Johnson - Staff writer
Posted : Friday Apr 6, 2007 12:41:19 EDT
The Corps is considering possible contract changes for manufacturers who have missed the first testing deadline to provide prototypes for hardened blast-resistant vehicles meant to be rapidly pushed out to Marines in Iraq.
The service issued nine “indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity” contracts to manufacturers in January for the assembly of 36 Mine Resistant Ambush Protected vehicles slated to begin testing March 27. Of the nine companies, three submitted their test vehicles early, and two are within 10 days of the deadline, said Bill Johnson-Miles, spokesman for Marine Corps System Command at Quantico, Va.
One company was a month behind and will deliver its vehicle to Aberdeen Proving Grounds, Md., by April 26, he added.
And one is a no-show all together.
“One of the nine manufacturers notified the MRAP program office of their inability to deliver due to technical issues with their design,” Johnson-Miles said.
“Technically, none of the companies requested extensions and none were granted,” he said. “We are evaluating contractual remedies for those instances where delivery deadlines were missed based on the merits of the delays.”
Johnson-Miles could not say what those remedies might be but said they could include an order modification. He would not name the contractors who have missed the deadlines.
While the ripple effect of the delays in receiving MRAP vehicles for testing and evaluation are unclear, they won’t hold up progress with the other manufacturers who met the March 27 deadline, Johnson-Miles said.
Once delivered to Aberdeen Proving Grounds, vehicles undergo six weeks of testing.
“We won’t make fielding and production recommendations until testing is complete,” Johnson-Miles said. “The faster we can get manufacturers to make vehicles, the faster they will get out to Marines.”
The Marine Corps is the lead agency for all the services in the rapid procurement of MRAP vehicles, which feature a V-shaped hull that deflects the blast of roadside bombs that detonate underneath. MRAP demand for all services and U.S. Special Operations Command could reach 7,700 vehicles and cost about $8.4 billion, Johnson-Miles said.
The Corps’ top commander told lawmakers on Capitol Hill on March 28 that the service officials made the decision to increase its initial order of about 1,000 MRAPs to 3,700 vehicles after witnessing its performance on the battlefield.
“[W]hat we discovered was that the same blast under these MRAP vehicles were having much less impact on Marines and sailors who were ... riding in the vehicles,” Commandant Gen. James Conway told the Senate Appropriations defense subcommittee. “[They were] about 400 percent more likely to survive a blast that would literally take out an up-armored Humvee,” he said.
“We think it’ll significantly cut our casualties to this particular form of attack,” he added.
Ellie