Textron M&LS wins Afghan armoured vehicles contract

Textron Marine & Land Systems, an operating unit of Textron Systems, a Textron Inc. company, today announced it has been awarded an Undefinitized Contract Action (UCA) by the US Army Contracting Command, Warren, Mich., to produce up to 440 Medium armoured Security Vehicles (MASV) for the Afghanistan National Army (ANA).

MASVs include nine armoured vehicle configurations designed specifically for ANA roles and missions, and are derived from the combat-proven M1117 armoured Security Vehicle (ASV) and ASV armoured Personnel Carrier (APC). In addition to ASV and APC configurations, other mission variants include: command and control, ambulance, engineering, maintenance, mortar, and reconnaissance vehicles.

The vehicles will be contracted through the US Army Foreign Military Sales (FMS) process; however, this effort is being funded through Afghan Security Forces Funds (ASFF).

The one-year baseline contract, with a potential value of $257 million, authorizes initial funding of $125.9 million to begin work leading to the planned delivery of 240 MASVs and associated support equipment, spare parts, field service representatives, training and training aids. Vehicle production will be performed at Textron Marine & Land Systems' facilities in the New Orleans area, with an estimated completion date of June 2012.

The contract includes options to produce up to an additional 200 vehicles, plus two option years for training and logistics support, with a potential value of $286 million. While these additional vehicles, if ordered, would have an estimated completion date of December 2012, training and logistics support would continue through the first quarter of 2014.

"The ASV continues to play a key role in the US Army combat vehicle fleet around the world with its outstanding readiness rate and versatile mission roles," said Lt. Col. Mark Morano, product manager, armoured Security Vehicle, U. S. Army Program Executive Office, Combat Support and Combat Service Support. "The protection levels and extreme mobility offer the warfighter and commander a great degree of confidence in safety and mission success."

All ANA vehicles will be configured with Enhanced Survivability (ES) capability, which improves blast protection to mine-resistant, ambush-protected (MRAP) levels. The new ES-equipped vehicles will continue to possess the M1117 ASV's original, all-important V-shaped hull design, in addition to innovative protection design features that enable it to meet MRAP blast protection standards.

Reliability and supportability also are reinforced by a Total Package Fielding concept, which includes technical manuals, spares, and comprehensive operator and maintenance training.

"MASVs, and the extensive logistics support package provided with these vehicles, will serve our Afghanistan allies well in efforts to establish peace and security in their country," said Textron Marine & Land Systems Senior Vice President and General Manager Tom Walmsley.

Textron Marine & Land Systems has delivered more than 3,100 M1117 ASV and related configurations to the US Army, as well as military and police forces in Iraq, Colombia and Bulgaria. These vehicles have consistently achieved exceptional operational readiness and combat availability rates greater than 90 percent over the life of the US Army program. Through May of this year, Textron Marine & Land Systems also has achieved 68 consecutive months of on-time ASV deliveries to the US Army.

Current ASV missions within the US Army include Military Police operations in support of convoy protection, checkpoint security, perimeter security and reconnaissance, as well as Field Artillery Combat Observation and Lasing Teams (COLT) with the M1200 armoured Knight configuration.

Source: Textron Marine & Land Systems

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