Rheinmetall signs Canadian TAPV contract

Rheinmetall has announced that it has signed a contract with Textron Systems Canada to work on the Canadian Forces Tactical Armoured Patrol Vehicle (TAPV) project. The €160 million contract includes €120 million for work to be conducted during the programme’s production phase, and €40 million for developing Integrated Logistics Support (ILS) products as the primary in-service support hub for the vehicle fleet during its service life.

The Textron TAPV Team, led by Textron Systems Canada, was selected in June to manufacture 500 Canadian Forces Tactical Armoured Patrol Vehicles (TAPV) with options for up to 100 more. The TAPV contract has a value of $603.4 million CAD, with an additional five-year in-service support contract of $105.4 million CAD.

Rheinmetall’s work on the programme will be conducted by Rheinmetall Canada. During the production phase of the TAPV fleet, the company will perform the critical final assembly and test of the vehicles, as well as integrating essential sub-systems such as the Remotely Controlled Weapon Station, the Vehicle Navigation System and the Driver Vision Enhancement System. The production phase of the acquisition contract is expected to span from July 2014 to March 2016.

Once fielded, Rheinmetall will provide In-Service Support (ISS) for the entire TAPV fleet. This will start with Initial Operational Capability when the first 47 vehicles are delivered, planned for 2014, and is expected to end in 2021, five years after the last vehicle is delivered.
 
Prime contractor Textron Systems Canada will provide overall TAPV programme and configuration management, act as design authority for change management, coordinate vehicle integration activities by Canadian subcontractors, and manage the ISS contract.

Rheinmetall Canada’s president and CEO, Dr. Andreas Knackstedt, said: ‘This partnership with Textron Systems is of strategic importance to Rheinmetall Canada. We are extremely pleased to work with Textron Systems delivering state of the art equipment to the army, and value for taxpayers’ money, while creating highly skilled jobs in Canada.’

The Textron TAPV will provide the Canadian forces with the optimal balance of survivability, mobility and versatility, while delivering outstanding performance in the world’s most challenging environments. The vehicle has been extensively tested to confirm ballistic, blast, mobility and reliability levels to meet and exceed Canada’s requirements.