thedrifter
04-24-07, 08:07 AM
Corps scores more MRAPs
By Kris Osborn - Staff writer
Posted : Tuesday Apr 24, 2007 7:00:26 EDT
A thousand more Mine Resistant Ambush Protected vehicles may be one step closer to the battlefield just over a year from now. Systems Command has given its largest order of MRAPs to date to Force Protection, a firm known for its combat-tested Cougar and Buffalo vehicles. The company will deliver 1,000 MRAPs by May 2008 in a $481 million contract, according to SysCom.
Members of Congress have consistently emphasized the need to get larger numbers of MRAPs to the war zone as soon as possible. The improvised explosive device-resistant Buffalo and Cougar vehicles, which have been in Iraq since 2004 and Afghanistan since 2003, are known for their V-shaped, blast-deflecting hull design and raised chassis.
Force Protection is competing against eight other vehicle makers hoping to win contracts to make some of the more than 7,700 MRAPs requested by the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps and Special Operations Command. That MRAP contract is valued at approximately $8 billion. And SysCom officials say more large orders are on the way.
Vehicles have been undergoing blast testing during the last few weeks at Aberdeen Proving Grounds, Md.
“[Force Protection was] the first team to get their test vehicles to the test site, and based on the verification of survivability and automotive performance, we felt confident in their ability to produce survivable vehicles,” said SysCom spokesman Bill Johnson-Miles.
The blast testing involves exploding bombs and mines beneath the vehicles and simulating the IED-type threats the vehicles are likely to encounter in Iraq and Afghanistan, said SysCom officials. The requirements for the vehicles were carefully vetted by battle-savvy commanders in Iraq and Afghanistan, said SysCom officials.
“[Force Protection] did well enough for us to place a large order. This gets the ball rolling so we can get those lifesaving vehicles out to those Marines and soldiers,” Johnson-Miles said.
Other vehicle makers — including BAE systems, Oshkosh, General Dynamics-Canada, and Textron — have been asked to deliver MRAP test vehicles. They could receive large orders as well, Johnson-Miles said.
“Seven of the nine vendors have delivered their test vehicles — everyone that delivered vehicles is still in the competition,” Johnson-Miles said.
While the contract was officially awarded to Force Protection, the company formed a joint venture last fall with General Dynamics called Force Dynamics. The idea of this partnership was to combine the strengths of each vehicle maker while boosting production capacity in order to make more MRAPs faster, said Mike Aldrich, Force Protection vice president.
Once they’re produced by Force Protection, the Marine Corps Systems Command will start putting gear onto the vehicles such as communications equipment and IED-jamming devices, Johnson-Miles said.
Ellie
By Kris Osborn - Staff writer
Posted : Tuesday Apr 24, 2007 7:00:26 EDT
A thousand more Mine Resistant Ambush Protected vehicles may be one step closer to the battlefield just over a year from now. Systems Command has given its largest order of MRAPs to date to Force Protection, a firm known for its combat-tested Cougar and Buffalo vehicles. The company will deliver 1,000 MRAPs by May 2008 in a $481 million contract, according to SysCom.
Members of Congress have consistently emphasized the need to get larger numbers of MRAPs to the war zone as soon as possible. The improvised explosive device-resistant Buffalo and Cougar vehicles, which have been in Iraq since 2004 and Afghanistan since 2003, are known for their V-shaped, blast-deflecting hull design and raised chassis.
Force Protection is competing against eight other vehicle makers hoping to win contracts to make some of the more than 7,700 MRAPs requested by the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps and Special Operations Command. That MRAP contract is valued at approximately $8 billion. And SysCom officials say more large orders are on the way.
Vehicles have been undergoing blast testing during the last few weeks at Aberdeen Proving Grounds, Md.
“[Force Protection was] the first team to get their test vehicles to the test site, and based on the verification of survivability and automotive performance, we felt confident in their ability to produce survivable vehicles,” said SysCom spokesman Bill Johnson-Miles.
The blast testing involves exploding bombs and mines beneath the vehicles and simulating the IED-type threats the vehicles are likely to encounter in Iraq and Afghanistan, said SysCom officials. The requirements for the vehicles were carefully vetted by battle-savvy commanders in Iraq and Afghanistan, said SysCom officials.
“[Force Protection] did well enough for us to place a large order. This gets the ball rolling so we can get those lifesaving vehicles out to those Marines and soldiers,” Johnson-Miles said.
Other vehicle makers — including BAE systems, Oshkosh, General Dynamics-Canada, and Textron — have been asked to deliver MRAP test vehicles. They could receive large orders as well, Johnson-Miles said.
“Seven of the nine vendors have delivered their test vehicles — everyone that delivered vehicles is still in the competition,” Johnson-Miles said.
While the contract was officially awarded to Force Protection, the company formed a joint venture last fall with General Dynamics called Force Dynamics. The idea of this partnership was to combine the strengths of each vehicle maker while boosting production capacity in order to make more MRAPs faster, said Mike Aldrich, Force Protection vice president.
Once they’re produced by Force Protection, the Marine Corps Systems Command will start putting gear onto the vehicles such as communications equipment and IED-jamming devices, Johnson-Miles said.
Ellie