Buffalo, arrivé
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The French DGA procurement agency recently announced [in French] that its 2009 urgences operations (UO, formerly “crash programs”) budget doubled from EUR 131 million in 2008 to EUR 260 million in 2009. This change is in line with a broader international trend, as front-line operations in Afghanistan and beyond reveal limitations in existing equipment, as well as new equipment needs. One change from 2008 was an increased emphasis on naval systems, as 4 of 36 UO programs focused on counter-piracy efforts.

Key 2009 programs included 32 armoring kits for France’s Puma and Cougar medium helicopters, 200 vehicle up-armoring kits, 150 IED jammers, 5 Buffalo mine-clearing vehicles, 60 RWS remote-control turrets for vehicles, The Venus project for on-the-move communication with the Syracuse satellite system, 10 SATCOM on-the-move stations, Integration of America’s Remote Operational Video Enhanced Receiver (ROVER) ground-to-air communications for 25 Mirage 2000 fighters, and retrofitted IRST optical systems for existing French frigates that allow long-range passive scan and identification of naval targets.

FMTV Family
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The 14 variants in the Family of Medium Tactical Vehicles (FMTV) form the core of the USA’s new state-of-the-art medium military transport truck fleet. Which in turn forms the core of the “mature logistics capability” seen in the Iraqi theater and elsewhere. FMTV trucks are all automatic transmission, and range from 2.5-ton cargo and van models to 5-ton cargo, tractor, van, wrecker, tanker, specialty, and dump-truck models in various 4×4 and 6×6 configurations. Some models also have attached trailers that increase their carrying capacity. Even so, the use of common engines, transmissions, drivelines, power trains, tires, cabs, etc. create over 80% parts commonality between FMTV models. Where possible, commercial components are used for added savings.

There have been 3 main phases of the FMTV program, including the last “SO23” open competition in 2003. All told, more than 50,000 FMTV trucks in various models have been delivered to the US Army. A bridging order to BAE will continue production in Sealy, TX from 2008 through 2010, but unless something changes, the 4th phase re-compete will see a new firm begin FMTV production – alongside heavy truck production for the Army (FHTV) and Marines (LVSR), and medium trucks for the US Marine Corps (MTVR) – unless the GAO protests now underway short-circuit that award.

BAE recently released additional details regarding its protest, and recent GAO hearings. Lobbying from the Houston area is well underway to keep BAE’s Sealy facility, while Oshkosh discusses local tax deals to expand its own manufacturing in Wisconsin by adding an E-Coat facility – a discussion that triggers a sharp BAE response…

• FMTV Program & Production
• Contracts and Key Events [updated]
  
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The US Army Tank-Automotive Research Development and Engineering Center (TARDEC) awarded 16 omnibus contracts to support its research and development (R&D) efforts encompassing the life cycle of military manned and unmanned ground vehicles. The contracts have a total potential value of $430 million.

TARDEC is the Army’s laboratory for military automotive technology and the lead agency for simulation and testing, demonstration, development and full life cycle engineering for ground vehicle survivability, robotics, power and energy, mobility, maneuver and sustainment, and condition-based maintenance.

The 5-year indefinite-delivery, indefinite-quantity (IDIQ) contracts were awarded for TARDEC omnibus services under multiple award task order (MATO) arrangements to the following companies:

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HET w. M1 tank
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The M1070 Heavy Equipment Transport/Tractor (HET) lives up to its name, towing trailers that can carry tanks, armored vehicles or heavy construction equipment and their crews, in order to minimize wear and maximize speed. Egypt has a substantial program centered on agreements to purchase and assemble over 1,000 M1 Abrams tanks, and those tanks need HET trucks.

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Afghan 7000 series
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In May 2008, the U.S. Army TACOM Life Cycle Management Command awarded Navistar Defense a follow-on contract to provide medium tactical trucks and spare parts to the Afghanistan National Police, Afghan National Army and the Iraqi Ministry of Defense.

These trucks are based on Navistar’s severe service International 7000 Series truck, and include General Troop Transporter, POL (petroleum, oil and lubricant), water tankers, wreckers and hazardous material truck variants. In addition, Navistar was contracted to supply all required spare parts necessary to support several years of scheduled maintenance.

A recent award extends that $1+ billion contract, with a particular focus on Afghanistan – and the Pentagon has just clarified with full type breakdowns…

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Oshkosh M-ATV
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US government FedBizOpps, November 2008:

“The Government plans to acquire an MRAP All-Terrain Vehicle (M-ATV). The M-ATV is a lighter, off-road, and more maneuverable vehicle that incorporates current MRAP level protection. The M-ATV will require effectiveness in an off-road mission profile. The vehicle will include EFP and RPG protection (integral or removable kit). The M-ATV will maximize both protection levels and off-road mobility & maneuverability attributes, and must balance the effects of size and weight while attempting to achieve the stated requirements.”

The current plan expects to spend up to $3.3 billion to order 5,244 M-ATVs for the US Army (2,598), Marine Corps (1,565), Special Operations Command (643), US Air Force (280) and the Navy (65), plus 93 test vehicles. Monthly delivery rates of up to 1,000 vehicles were part of the solicitation. Those requirements, and American requirements around classified data and regulatory compliance, ensured that the only reasonable contenders were firms that already produced MRAPs, trucks, or tactical vehicles for American forces: BAE Systems, General Dynamics, Force Protection, Navistar, and Oshkosh. Oshkosh Defense secured a long-denied MRAP win, and continues to remain ahead of production targets.

The latest news includes FY 2010 budget updates, delivery performance, and a $400+ million order for more vehicles…

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THAAD on HEMTT
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With its bridge buy of FMTV medium trucks in place and the re-compete proceeding, and initial awards for the potential JLTV Hummer replacement designs underway, the next order of business on the US Army’s agenda was a new Family of Heavy Tactical Vehicles multi-year contract: FHTV-III.

Oshkosh has provided the core of this capability for over 20 yeas now. Its Heavy Expanded Mobility Tactical Trucks (HEMTT) and their 13-ton payloads are the mainstay of the FHTV fleet, serving in variants that include M977/985 Cargo, M978 Fueler, M982/983 Tractors, and M984 Wrecker; they also serve as heavy transporters for Patriot and THAAD air defense systems. M1074/75 Palletized Load Systems (PLS) and PLS trailers (PLST) are best known for their automated container/pallet loading arms, and for their Universal Power Interface Kit (UPIK) that can add modules for firefighting, construction, cranes, et. al. The M1000/1070 Heavy Equipment Transporters (HET) are flatbeds that can transport a 70-ton Abrams tank – or anything less – in order to save wear and tear on expensive armored vehicles and on the roads. A specialized FHTV truck called the M1977 CBT can even lay bridges.

Now the multi-billion dollar FHTV-III contract has been awarded – not as a re-compete like FMTV, but as a single solicitation. The new LTAS armoring kits are also attracting contracts. The latest awards include trucks for the National Guard…

• FHTV: Upgrades, LTAS, and RECAP
• Contracts and Key Events [updated]
• Additional Readings
  
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Now: M2A2 105mm
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In February 2006, the Australian Government gave first pass approval for the replacement of the ADF’s current 105mm and 155mm artillery pieces with new, more capable, artillery systems that feature improved mobility, protection, range and accuracy. Current systems are all towed, and include the aged 105mm M2A2, the L119 Hamel 105mm Field Gun, and the M198 155mm Howitzer. Options for replacing them include a mix of self-propelled artillery systems and lightweight towed artillery systems under an A$ 450-600 million project known as LAND 17. The project will also examine advanced high precision munitions and a networked command and fire control system.

So, how does this project fit into Australia’s larger defense plans? What’s the expected program timeline? And who are the declared and potential contenders? That matters even more now that the solicitation has been released. DID covers the program, and a number of the confirmed or likely competitors… but one category has now been decided.

• The LAND 17 Program
• LAND 17: Likely Contenders
• Contracts & Key Events [updated]
• Additional Readings & Sources
  
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M1165 HMMWV
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The US military’s Hummers have demonstrated severe payload and survivability limitations. Nevertheless, they remain a fixture in the fleet, and new orders continue. At one point, the US Marines’ objective was to restrict Hummers to use “inside the wire” of American bases in Iraq. Instead, a sharp reduction in violence within Iraq, and a lower vehicle threat level so far in Afghanistan, have given the HMMWVs a new lease on life. They are still seeing extensive use on the front lines, and the early wear created by the weight of their add-on armor has led to RESET maintenance programs for some Hummers and allied giveaways for others.

By mid-2007, the US Army had about 19,000 HMMWVs serving on the Iraqi front alone. As Hummers wear out and are given away, or are sent to a depot, they must be replaced. Some replacement involves cycling vehicles from other units into theater, but those units must eventually have their lost vehicles replaced with Hummers or with something else, in order to maintain their own readiness rates for deployment. Hence the necessity for ongoing buys of more Hummers, in the absence of a program to provide replacements on a fleet-wide basis.

This Spotlight article covers the family’s newest variants, and chronicles the US military’s 2009 purchases. Recent updates cover the final set of FY 2009 orders, and enhanced the timeline via a detailed search that reconciled budgets with announced orders.

• Hummer Replacements?
• The HMMWV Family
• Contracts and Key Events, FY 2009 [updated]
• Additional Readings
  
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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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