Overlander is On! Australia’s A$3B+ Vehicle Program

12-Oct-2009 09:58 EDT  |  Related Stories: Australia & S. Pacific, BAE, Contracts - Intent, FOCUS Articles, Other Corporation, Other Equipment - Land, RFPs, Trucks & Transport

Out with the old…
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Tanks and armored vehicles generally receive the lion’s share of attention, but field vehicles and trailers are the real backbone of any army. They transport personnel and combat supplies, haul those flashy armored vehicles around, evacuate casualties, and serve as platforms and prime movers for weapons systems. Some even offer C4ISR and electronic warfare capabilities, thanks to specialized equipment sets. Australia’s “Hardened and Networked Army” meta-program needed to pay attention to these vehicles as well, given an existing fleet that was bought between 1959-1994. Hence Overlander.

LAND 121 – also known as Project Overlander – is the largest land project in Australia’s Defence Capability Plan. Overall, this is currently an A$3 billion (USD $2.65 billion) investment in the Australian Army to replace its fleet of Army trucks, four-wheel drives, trailers and modules for Army’s high readiness units. As Defence Mnister Hill said in 2005: “Our current fleet is ageing and is becoming more costly to maintain and upgrade. The vehicles will range from lightweight four-wheel drives to heavy trucks and prime movers with interchangeable modules to increase operational flexibility.”

Part of Overlander is actually off, as Australia’s DoD ended up canceling and re-issuing its medium-heavy truck tender. Mea nwhile, its light protected vehicle competition has seen important developments on 2 fronts…

• Overlander: The Program
• Contracts & Key Events [updated]
• Additional Readings
  
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Up to $2B for U.S. Army Munitions Orders to Alliant Techsystems

17-Jun-2009 16:10 EDT  |  Related Stories: Americas - USA, Ammunition, Contracts - Awards, Delivery & Task Orders, Other Corporation

Alliant Techsystems (ATK) in Minneapolis, MN received $42 million in small-caliber ammunition orders from the U.S. Army Sustainment Command in Rock Island, IL to produce 5.56mm, 7.62mm and .50-caliber ammunition. ATK Small Caliber Systems will perform work at the Lake City Army Ammunition Plant (LCAAP) in Independence, MO. The orders are part of a four-year indefinite delivery/ indefinite quantity contract (W52P1J-09-D-0027) worth up to $2 billion.

ATK said it began operating the LCAAP in 2000 and is the largest supplier of small-caliber ammunition to the U.S. military, producing a mix of 5.56mm, 7.62mm, .50-caliber, and 20mm cartridges, as well as ammunition links. Working in partnership with the Army, ATK has expanded manufacturing capacity at the plant, and is also under contract to modernize the facility. The company has delivered 1.4 billion rounds of ammunition in FY 2009.

The US armed forces have suffered from small arms ammunition shortages in recent years, and their reliance on the World War 2 era Lake City plant as their sole source for military small arms ammunition was a contributing factor. In addition to financing the modernization of the Lake City facility, the US military has made General Dynamics Ordnance & Tactical Systems (GD OTS) its second source supplier for small arms ammunition.

General Dynamics Looks to Canada for Ammo-Related Acquisition

27-Feb-2006 09:32 EST  |  Related Stories: Americas - Other, Americas - USA, Ammunition, General Dynamics, Mergers & Acquisitions, Other Corporation

On September 1, 2005, DID noted that General Dynamics had just become a second-source prime for small-caliber ammunition to the US military, as a result of the Army’s small-caliber ammunition shortage. This broke Alliance Techsystems’ sole lock on the prime supplier position from its single remaining plant in Lake City, MO. That award may be having ripple effects now, as General Dynamics has just entered a definitive agreement to acquire Canadian ammunition system integrator SNC Technologies Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of SNC-Lavalin Group Inc., for approximately $275 million (CDN$ 315 million).

SNC Technologies supplies small, medium, and large-caliber ammunition and related products to armed forces and law enforcement agencies in North America. Products include its Simunition line, and customers include Canada and the U.S. Defense Department, as well as Australia, Belgium, Denmark, France, Greece, Holland, Hong Kong, Italy, Jordan, Kuwait, New Zealand, Oman, Singapore, Sweden, Thailand, the Philippines, the United Kingdom and the United Arab Emirates. The company generated USD$ 293 million in revenue in 2005, with EBITDA of approximately USD$ 39.5 million. See GD release for more details.

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$156.4M Delivery Order to ATK for Small-Cal Ammo

28-Dec-2005 06:35 EST  |  Related Stories: Americas - USA, Ammunition, Delivery & Task Orders, Other Corporation

Alliant Lake City Small Caliber Ammunition Co. LLC in Independence, MO received a delivery order amount of $156.4 million as part of a $166.2 million firm-fixed-price contract for “small caliber ammunition.” In the USA, this designation usually refers to ammunition of .50 caliber (12.7mm) or lower. DID has featured ongoing coverage of the USA’s small-caliber ammunition shortages, some of the steps being taken to address them, and recent expansions of the supplier base. ATK’s protest of the recent second-source award to General Dynamics was recently withdrawn.

Work on this delivery order will be performed in Independence, MO and is expected to be completed by Sept. 30, 2006. This was a sole source contract initiated on Oct. 5, 2005 by the Army Field Support Command in Rock Island, IL (DAAA09-99-D-0016). DID has covered developments related to this contract before.

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US Ammo Shortage: GD Now A Second Source Prime as it Delivers Guns, Ammo

01-Sep-2005 07:45 EDT  |  Related Stories: Americas - USA, Ammunition, Contracts - Awards, Delivery & Task Orders, General Dynamics, Guns - under 20mm direct, Policy - Procurement

Ma Deuce, raising demand…

DID has covered the US small caliber ammunition shortage before, as well as a number of the steps the Defense Department has taken to address the issue. The latest step moves General Dynamics into an important second source supply role, and awards GD OTS a substantial contract. Which is a good thing, because the US Army is still buying and using General Dynamics’ excellent M2 .50 caliber heavy machine guns.

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Modernization Continues at Lake City, Radford Ammo Plants

15-Aug-2005 02:51 EDT  |  Related Stories: Americas - USA, Ammunition, Contracts - Modifications, Corporate Innovations, Delivery & Task Orders, Industry & Trends, Other Corporation

DID has covered the U.S. military’s small caliber ammunition shortages before, and explained the manufacturing, outsourcing, and modernization efforts under way to address it.

As a follow-up, Alliant Techsystems subsidiaries have recently received $38.1 million from The U.S. Army Field Support Command in Rock Island, IL, in order to modernize a pair of facilities associated with small-caliber ammunition manufacture.

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More .50 cal Ammunition on the Way

19-Jul-2005 00:42 EDT  |  Related Stories: Americas - USA, Ammunition, Delivery & Task Orders, Other Corporation

In a recent article, DID described the U.S. Army’s shortage of small-caliber ammunition, and some of the steps being taken to address that shortage.

As a concrete example, Alliant Techsystems of Independence, MO just received a delivery order amount of $6.4 million as part of a $405.6 million firm-fixed-price contract for .50 Caliber cartridges. Work will be performed in Independence, MO and is expected to be complete by June 30, 2007. This was a sole source contract initiated on May 19, 2005 by the U.S. Army Field Support Command at Rock Island, IL (DAAA09-99-D-0016).

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Pass The Ammunition: Army Taking Action on Small-Cal Shortages

14-Jul-2005 02:05 EDT  |  Related Stories: Americas - USA, Ammunition, Asia - Other, Middle East - Israel, Policy - Procurement

A modernization plan for old machinery is being matched with a new procurement strategy, as the U.S. Army upgrades its manufacturing facilities and reaches out to more contractors to replenish its diminished supply of small-caliber ammunition.

Among the most debilitated munitions stocks are .50 caliber and 7.62 mm rounds, which have few reserves, a low production rate and some of the oldest assembly-line machines. Meanwhile, demand for direct fire ammunition remains high thanks to use in war zones and in live-fire exercises that precede deployments.

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Alliant’s Ammunition Agreement Adjusted

05-May-2005 08:07 EDT  |  Related Stories: Americas - USA, Ammunition, Contracts - Modifications, Other Corporation

Alliant Lake City Small Caliber Ammunition Co. L.L.C. in Independence, MO received a delivery order amount of $19.4 million as part of a sole-source $395.9 million firm-fixed-price contract for Economic Price Adjustments for Copper on the Caliber .22, .30, .45, .50, 5.56mm, and 7.62mm small-caliber Ammunition Cartridges. The U.S. Army Field Support Command, Rock Island, IL issued the contract (DAAA09-99-D-0016).

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Alliant Gets Bomb Fuze Order, Analyst Downgrade

04-Apr-2005 07:09 EDT  |  Related Stories: Americas - USA, Contracts - Awards

Alliant Techsystems, Inc. in Janesville, WI received an $8 million modification to a previously awarded firm-fixed-price contract (N00019-04-C-0133), exercising an option for the procurement of 9,164 FMU-139C/B electronic bomb fuzes. Meanwhile, Smith Barney Citigroup recently downgraded the company’s stock to “sell” from “hold”.

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