RG-33 variant

The USA’s Mine-Resistant, Ambush Protected (MRAP) program has been a long road for BAE Systems. In the wake of the US Army’s belated realization that mine protection was critical for vehicles in theater, BAE’s designs, long-standing experience in the field, and production capacity had made them an early favorite. Early results were a deeply humbling experience for the firm, but a combination of acquisitions, persistence, and product development combined to recover 2nd place status by the time MRAP orders ceased.

This in-depth, updated DID feature shines a spotlight on BAE Systems’ family of MRAP offerings, order record, and associated contracts. That includes its RG-33 family, the derivative MRRMV recovery vehicle, and the FMTV-based Caiman family, but not the RG-31s offered in partnership with General Dynamics. The MRAP program appears to have reached its vehicle limit, but upgrades and maintenance contracts are still a significant source of business…

• BAE MRAP: The Vehicles [updated]
• BAE MRAP: The Current Tally [updated]
• BAE MRAP: Contracts & Key Events [updated]
• Appendix A: MRAP Competition Half-Time Update, June 28/07
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USMC RG-31,
IEDed in Iraq
(click to view story)

General Dynamics is one of the biggest suppliers of land equipment to the US Army and Marines, alongside firms like BAE and Oshkosh. As IED land mines became an unmistakable trend in modern warfare, however, the company had nothing of its own to respond with. To fix that, they fell back on a focused partnership with BAE and the Canadian government, and created another limited partnership with newcomer Force Protection. Those kinds of partnerships can be preludes to an acquisition, and that was true in this case as well. In late 2011, the firm bought Force Protection, bringing all of its vehicles, technologies, and experience in house.

General Dynamics Land Systems is now a legitimate player in the global marketplace for blast-resistant vehicles. The long-term question involves competitiveness, as both the RG-31 (BAE) and Cougar (Force Protection) faded in the face of newer MRAP competitors. GDLS will reap maintenance and upgrade contracts for the RG-31s and Cougar in the US fleet, and consolidating accountability may strengthen their position if the Army decides to rationalize its MRAPs. That cash flow buys time; beyond, exports beckon. The Cougar family has a strong customer in Britain, where General Dynamics is supplanting BAE as a major land forces supplier, and it is used by several NATO and Middle Eastern countries. The Buffalo heavy mine-disposal vehicle has a unique niche, and offerings like the Ocelot and Jamma light patrol vehicles may yet pick up. Will it be enough?

• Experiences on the Front Lines
• The MRAP Trend, and GD’s Offerings
• USA MRAPs: The Broader Picture
• GD’s MRAP Contracts [updated]
• Additional Readings
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THAAD on HEMTT

In 2009, with its bridge buy of FMTV medium trucks in place, 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. That multi-billion dollar FHTV-III contract has been awarded – not as a re-compete like FMTV, but as a single-source solicitation.

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/Tow; 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, cement mixing, etc. 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. This article details the FHTV-III trucks, and related developments and contracts:

• FHTV: Upgrades, LTAS, and RECAP [updated]
• Contracts and Key Events [updated]
• Additional Readings
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Mastiff, Afghanistan

In 2006 Britain started purchasing a trio of very different vehicles intended to upgrade the survivability of army patrols in high-threat areas, as part of a general trend among Western militaries toward high-survivability vehicle designs. One of those purchase sets involved blast-resistant, v-hulled wheeled vehicles from US-based Force Protection, in conjunction with its British partners.

Specific figures were not given initially – but those figures have emerged over time, along with field experience to back up the initial pros and cons of Britain’s modified Cougar design. Force Protection Inc. ramped up production capacity to produce the “Mastiff Protected Patrol Vehicles” – and now finds itself in the position of having Britain and Iraq as its most important customers. Britain originally chose Force Protection’s Cougar vehicles over BAE’s RG-33 family, and has elected to continue that trend by adding the 4×4 “Ridgeback” patrol vehicles, 6×6 “Wolfhound” cargo variants, and now the modular 4×4 “Foxhound” light patrol vehicle:

• The Lion’s Cougars
• The UK’s PPV Programs: Contracts & Key Events [updated]
• Additional Readings
• Appendix A: Force Protection, Inc – Expand to Meet Demand (Aug 2006)
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• The Center for the Study of Chinese Military Affairs released a report [PDF] on the Chinese Navy’s capabilities and roles that concludes the PLAN is extending its reach and has initiated a serious C4ISR effort.

• An MQ-9 Reaper operated by the USAF in the Seychelles crashed while it was landing.

• Speaking of which, China is considering using the Indian Ocean island as a resupply port for its ships involved in anti-piracy operations.
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• The Latest Defense AT&L [PDF] covers among other topics: contingency contracting (staying clear of mentioning the work of the now closed Commission on Wartime Contracting), the Afghan vendor base, critical path drag in project management, and collaboration between Program Managers (PMs) and Contracting Officers (KOs).

• This Should-Cost template [PPTX] provides a notional guide for presenting a summary of a program’s “should cost” plans and estimates, to flesh out “Better Buying Power” acquisition guidance published by the Pentagon last year.

• The US House Armed Services Committee released a summary of the conference report on the FY12 Defense Authorization Act.

• Under Secretary of Defense for Policy Michele Flournoy has announced she will step down early next year.

• Turkish papers report that Syria’s regime is taking warheads from its chemical weapon stocks, and has armed its medium range missiles. Syria’s Shabab-2 (Iranian) and Hwasong-6/ Scud-C (North Korean) missiles could hit southern and eastern Turkey, which is supporting the Free Syria Army against the regime. Russia, ever helpful, reportedly sent the Syrian regime 3 million gas masks.

• The US State Department says they’ve secured and destroyed around 5,000 Libyan SA-7 and related shoulder-fired anti-aircraft missiles. The regime had about 20,000, and teams are still trying to account for the rest: destroyed in fighting, abandoned, or…?

• Reports surface that Brazil may want the 3 completed “Port of Spain” Class offshore patrol vessels that Trinidad & Tobago canceled, with an option to build another 5 in Brazil. Brazil has been building its submarine force, and there’s a large naval contract on the horizon to build a variety of surface combatants.

• Norway’s AMRAAM-based NASAMS air defense system is going mobile. With the USA canceling its truck-based SL-AMRAAM, and international interest in the capability, that could be good for Kongsberg’s exports, too.

• Navy Cmdr. Charles Coughlin (ret.) gets 3.5 years in prison, after it’s determined that he faked being injured by falling debris in the Pentagon on 9/11. He had received $331,000 from the victims’ fund, a Purple Heart, and a Meritorious Service Medal.

• 2 OH-58D Kiowa Warrior helicopters crashed last night at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, WA, killing 4 soldiers.

• In the UK the parliamentary Public Accounts Committee (PAC) released a scathing report on the lack of cost-effective armored vehicle capability. The Ministry of Defence (MoD) responded rather defensively but as Think Defence argues, what’s surprising about brutal weather and the use of landmines? This debate and dynamic are not new, see for instance MRAPs, Irregular Warfare, and Pentagon Reform [PDF] from the US National Defense University. Back to the UK’s present controversy, a quick summary in the video below:
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Out with the old…

LAND 121 – also known as Project Overlander – is the largest land project in Australia’s Defence Capability Plan. Overall, this is currently estimated as an A$ 7.5 billion (USD $7.6 billion) investment in the Australian Army to replace its fleet of Army trucks, patrol vehicles, trailers and modules. 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. As Defence Minister 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.”

This article looks at Project Overlander, with a particular focus on the major vehicle buys from Phase 3 onward. Some parts of Overlander are even linked to America’s JLTV program, though Australia is also preparing a domestic competitor:

• Overlander: The Program [updated]
• Contracts & Key Events [updated]
• Additional Readings
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Cougar 6×6, IEDed
- the crew lived.

The Cougar family of medium-sized blast-protected vehicles is produced in both 4-wheel (formerly Cougar H) and 6-wheel (formerly Cougar HE) layouts. Eventually, the wisdom of using survivable vehicles in a theater where land mines were the #1 threat became clearer, and these vehicles have gradually shifted from dedicated engineer and Explosives Ordnance Disposal (EOD) roles to patrol and route-proving/ convoy lead functions as well. Related variants and blast-resistant designs are also produced in response to country-specific requirements (Wolfhound, Mastiff, Ridgeback, ILAV Badger) and other designs cover different operational needs (Buffalo mine-clearance, Cheetah, Ocelot, and JAMMA patrol vehicles). To date, the firm has received orders from Britain, Canada, France, Hungary, Italy, Iraq, and Yemen; and Poland operates some on loan from the USA. Front line testimonials offer evidence of their effectiveness.

Cougar orders predate the USA’s MRAP program to rush mine-resistant vehicles to the front lines; indeed, the performance of Force Protection’s vehicles on the front lines was probably the #1 trigger for the MRAP program’s existence. This FOCUS article describes Force Protection’s vehicles and corporate performance, which became an issue in recent years. It also covers key events and procurements around the world related to Force Protection’s Cougar (MRAP CAT I & II), Buffalo (MRAP CAT III), and related blast-resistant vehicle families.

• The Cougar Vehicles
• Cougar Family: Related Contracts & Events [updated]
• Appendix A: Ramping Up Production
• Appendix B: Additional Readings and Sources
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Finnish Buk M1

Sisu trucks for SLAMRAAM; Stingers for Finland? (Oct 31/11)

Control of the air isn’t a cornerstone of Finland’s defense, as it is for a country like Australia. Instead, Finland needs to make its airspace dangerous enough to deny enemies full air dominance, while its difficult terrain and mobile land forces bleed any Russian invasion until it quits.

That thinking fed into Finland’s recent decision to upgrade its medium and long-range air defenses, Russian 9K37-M1 Buk (SA-11 ‘Gadfly’) intermediate range anti-aircraft missiles, and radars with NATO-compliant solutions. The move was Finland’s largest single defense purchase since it bought its current fighter fleet of over 60 F/A-18C/D Hornets. The next step is to replace some of its man-portable, short range missile systems…

• Nordic Cooperation: NASAMS for Finland
• Contracts and Key Events [updated]
• Additional Readings [updated]
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EFSS Concept

75 ITVs. (Oct 17/11)

The U.S. Marine Corps sees the 120mm Expeditionary Fire Support System (EFSS) mortar as the 3rd leg of its expeditionary fire support triad. EFSS will be the short-range but easily transportable counterpart to the reduced-weight M777 155mm towed howitzer, and the truck-mounted M142 HIMARS rocket system.

Accompanying Marine Air Ground Task Forces (MAGTFs) in expeditionary operations, EFSS will be the heliborne Ship-To-Objective Maneuver (STOM) force’s primary fire support, before the larger and longer range systems can move into position. As such, the EFSS launcher, its Internally Transportable Vehicle (ITV) carrier, a portion of the basic load of ammunition, and a portion of its crew, must all be transportable by a single CH-53E Super Stallion or future CH-53K heavy lift helicopter, and/or a single MV-22 Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft. The program’s path has not been smooth, and its vehicle choice in particular has come in for criticism, as it heads toward full-rate production…

• EFSS and ITV [updated]
• Contracts & Key Events [updated]
• Additional Readings
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