US Issues $200M Contract for 229 More Armored Cars
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Textron Marine & Land Systems in Slidell, LA received a $99.5 million firm-fixed-price contract for 191 M1117 Armored Security Vehicles (ASVs); 32 associated field support tool packages; 11 associated special tool packages; 38 M1200 Armored Knight vehicles; 10 associated field support tool packages; and 3 associated special tool packages. The contract’s total value is approximately $200 million, of which the $99.5 million announced amount represents what is is currently funded.
The M117 and M1200 Armored Knight represent different variants of the same 4×4 armored car…
Textron’s M1117 Guardian Armored Security Vehicle (ASV) was recently removed from the MRAP program after the vehicle failed some of the tests at Aberdeen. Nevertheless, its original 3-man, 12,500 GVW version remains popular with military police. M1117s provide better mine and ballistics protection than the Hummer, coupled with with an armored turret that offers both mounts for advanced sensors, and patrol vehicle firepower overmatch via a .50 cal machine gun and 40mm grenade machine gun combination.
The M1200 Armored Knight is used by Field Artillery Combat Observation and Lasing Team (COLT) targeters, and derives its name from the Knight sensor system it mounts. That system includes a laser designator/ rangefinder, a thermal imager, blended inertial/ GPS navigation and targeting, digital command and control, and a machine gun. Its mission is to provide precision far target location and targeting for both artillery and air-delivered weapons. Data received is automatically formatted within the fire support tactical data system for immediate digital transmission, which allows receiving units to take immediate action. The M707 Knight system can also be mounted on M1025A2 HMMWV jeeps and M1131 Stryker 8×8 armored Fire Support Vehicle, as the system was designed from the outset to be both platform and sensor independent.
Work on this contract is to be performed in Slidell, LA near New Orleans, with an estimated contract end date of Dec 31/10. Delivery is expected to commence February 2010 and, should all options of the contract be exercised, could continue into 2013. One bid was solicited, with one bid received by the TACOM Contracting Center-Warren in Warren, MI (W56HZV-09-C-0532).
Textron Marine & Land Systems has delivered a total of 2,153 ASVs to the U.S. Army to-date; the 2,000th vehicle rolled off of its assembly lines in early June 2009. Textron Marine & Land Systems has now achieved more than 46 consecutive months of on-time delivery to the U.S. Army on the ASV program, after Hurricane Katrina closed its production line.
