$258.8M for M1117 Guardian ASVs

M1117 Guardian ASVs
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Textron’s M1117 Guardian ASV was discussed in a 2005 DID feature covering procurement issues for up-armored Vehicles headed to Iraq. It has performed well and proven popular with Military Police in limited Iraq deployments, but failed MRAP-I testing at Aberdeen and was disqualified from orders under that program. Nevertheless, it continues to be purchased as a better-protected, higher-firepower armored car alternative to the HMMWV.

In July 2005, there were 130 ASVs deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom; by June 2007, there were over 950, with more on order. In between, Textron’s sole production facility was hit hard when Class 5 Hurricane Katrina flooded New Orleans, and the company had to undertake heroic efforts just to keep production alive. We’ve all met venomous snakes in corporate conference rooms, but few of us have been given permission to kill them.

M1117 on base, Tikrit
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The first M1117 ASV production contract for 94 vehicles was awarded on March 30/99, as a sole source contract initiated on Oct 1/98 by the U.S. Army Tank-Automotive & Armaments Command in Warren, MI. It was for only $14, million as part of a $149.6 million firm-fixed-price multi-year contract for 94 Armored Security Vehicles (XM1117), engineering services and logistics support, and an option to buy 156 additional vehicles. Work was expected to be completed by March 30, 2004.

Production was slow in the early years, and urgency was low. The first Unit Equipped was achieved in February 1998, by the military police in V Corps’ 709th Military Police Battalion, 18th MP Brigade. Fewer than 50 ASVs had been produced by early 2002, however, and by March 2003 when operations began in Iraq, only 53 were in the inventory.

Recently, Textron Marine & Land Systems in New Orleans, LA received a sole-source $258.8 million firm-fixed-price contract for 724 Armored Security Vehicles (ASVs). Work will be performed in New Orleans, La., and is expected to be completed by June 30, 2007. All 724 vehicles in this contract have been designated for use by the U.S. Army. 50% funding has been awarded, and when the contract is fully definitized is worth potentially $500 million subject to final contract terms. This latest award brings the total number of production M1117 Guardian ASV vehicles awarded to Textron to 1,118.

Convoy lead, Tikrit
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With this order, Textron Marine & Land in New Orleans, LA will proceed to ramp up production to achieve a rate of 48 vehicles per month. The firm has been modifying its production line, expanding its manufacturing space and hiring the necessary workforce. More than 700 new employees were hired to get the production lines ready for this contract, and the firm anticipates hiring up to 400 more employees by March of next year.

This was a sole source contract initiated on June 14, 2005. The U.S. Army Tank-Automotive and Armaments Command, Warren, MI issued the contract (W56HZV-05-C-0470). See also this Textron corporate release.

Additional Readings & Updates

• GlobalSecurity.org – M1117 Guardian ASV

• Textron Land & Marine subsidiary Cadillac Gage – Armored Security Vehicle. Also lists a number of variants.

• GovExec.com (March 26/07) – New style of war key to success in Iraq

• National Defense Magazine (Feb 2005) – Army Boosts Production of Security Vehicle

• DefenseLINK (Jan 22/08) – Textron Marine & Land Systems in New Orleans, LA received a $227.8 million firm-fixed-price contract for M1117 Armored Security Vehicles. Based on previous awards, this will purchase somewhere around 350 vehicles. Work will be performed in New Orleans, LA and is expected to be complete by June 30, 2009. One bid was solicited on May 9/05, and 1 bid was received by U.S. Army TACOM LCMC in Warren, MI (W56HZV-05-C-0470).

• DefenseLINK (Oct 4/07) – Cadillac Gage Textron Corp. in New Orleans, LA received a $10.5 million fixed price with economic price adjustment, price re-determination, sole source contract for Phase 1 of the Armored Security Vehicle Corporate contract for the US Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marine Corps. This is a 10-year contract with one 2-year base period, and 4 more 2-year options. Additional NSNs will be awarded in future phases to grow this corporate contract. The original proposal was solicited on DIBBS. Date of performance completion is September 27, 2009. The contracting activity is Defense Supply Center Columbus (DSCC) in Columbus, OH (SPM7A2-07-D-7006).

• DefenseLINK (July 9/07) – Textron Marine & Land Systems in New Orleans, LA receives a $5.9 million modification to a firm-fixed-price contract for field service representatives to be deployed in the Central Command Theater of Operations in support ASVs in South West Asia. Work will be performed in New Orleans, LA and is expected to be complete by June 30, 2009. This was a sole source contract initiated on May 9, 2005 by the U.S. Army Tank-Automotive and Armaments Command in Warren, MI (W56HZV-05-C-0470).

• Textron Systems (June 21/07) – Textron Marine & Land announces a contract modification by the U.S. Army Tank-Automotive & Armaments Command (TACOM) for $255.5 million to build an additional 369 M1117 Armored Security Vehicles (ASV). This modification is a follow on to a contract finalized in 2006.

With this award, the total number of ASVs produced or under contract is now at 1,729 vehicles, with firm contracts through at least October 2008. Textron Marine & Land has built more than 950 vehicles to date; more than 750 have been deployed in the Global War on Terrorism in support of combat missions, with an Operational Readiness Rate consistently greater than 90%. Textron release.

• Textron (May 8/07) – Textron admits that its M1117 ASV has been dropped from the MRAP competition, which has grown to 7,774 vehicles and may add another 17,000 for the US Army. To cushion this bit of bad news, they add that based on current and pending U.S. budget requests, they expect to deliver about 530 vehicles in 2007 and “at least as many next year.” See full DID coverage.

• Textron Systems (March 2/07) – Armored Targeting Vehicles Begin To Arrive for U.S. Army. That’s the M1200 Armored Knight, created by combining the M1117 ASV with a sensor package from DRS. Conflicts with their earlier release, in that it refers to a larger $75.8 million order for 107 M117 armored vehicles (not 64) in October 2006, all of which are to be delivered to DRS for the M1200 program.

• DefenseLINK (Feb 22/07) – Textron Marine & Land Systems in New Orleans, LA receives a $28.4 million modification to a firm-fixed-price contract for Phase II of the Hurricane Katrina Relief Effort. Work will be performed in New Orleans, LA and is expected to be complete by June 30, 2009. This was a sole source contract initiated on May 9, 2005 by the U.S. Army Tank-Automotive and Armaments Command in Warren, MI (W56HZV-05-C-0470).

• Textron Systems (Feb 12/07) – Textron announces selection for the MRAP program for mine-resistant vehicles, with an initial test order of 4 vehicles. At this point, MRAP is a 4,100 vehicle program ; the DefenseLINK announcement is Jan 26/07.

• DefenseLINK (Dec 14/06) – Textron Marine & Land Systems in New Orleans, LA receives a $7.1 million modification to a firm-fixed-price contract for Phase I of the Hurricane Katrina Relief Effort. Work will be performed in New Orleans, LA and is expected to be complete by June 30, 2009. This was a sole source contract initiated on May 9, 2005 by the U.S. Army Tank-Automotive and Armaments Command in Warren, MI (W56HZV-05-C-0470).

• DefenseLINK (Nov 21/06) – Textron Marine & Land Systems in New Orleans, LA received a $133.6 million modification to a firm-fixed-price contract for M1117 ASVs. Work will be performed in New Orleans, LA and is expected to be complete by June 30, 2009. This was a sole source contract initiated on May 9, 2005 by the U.S. Army Tank-Automotive and Armaments Command in Warren, MI (W56HZV-05-C-0470).

• DefenseLINK (Nov 8/06) – Textron Marine & Land Systems in New Orleans, LA received a $105.7 million modification to a firm-fixed-price contract for M1117 ASVs. Work will be performed in New Orleans, LA and is expected to be complete by June 30, 2009. This was a sole source contract initiated on May 9, 2005 by the U.S. Army Tank-Automotive and Armaments Command in Warren, MI (W56HZV-05-C-0470).

• DID (Oct 26/06) – Troops in M1117s to Get Help from Knights. The M707 Knight precision targeting system, that is. These contracts will equip 60-64 M1117s, which will become M707 Armored Knight systems. Total value to DRS for the sensors is about $12 million, plus another $47 million or so to Textron for the vehicles (the total Textron order was $75.8 million order for 107 vehicles). DID’s article covers the initial order in a program that could grow to 345 vehicles.

• USA Today (May 5/06) – Textron Fought Storm to Deliver for Army. Amazing story of how Textron kept the lights on, retained 88% of its employees, and brought production back up after its sole M1117 production plant in New Orleans was destroyed by Hurricane Katrina. As the ASV has proved itself, Army orders have grown to $840 million and 1,200 M1117s by press time, and one of the vehicle’s originators Col. David Treuting (ret.) has had sons serve in them in Iraq. I especially loved the part about killing poisonous snakes in second floor conference rooms, though… the rest of us aren’t always so successful.

• Textron (May 18/06) – After Katrina, Six Sigma Provided a Clear Path to Recovery

• Textron (April 3/06) – Textron Marine & Land Continues to Increase Production of Armored Security Vehicles in Wake of Hurricane Katrina. Says they’re on target to meet the goal of producing 48 vehicles per month by August 2006, despite Katrina’s disruptions.

• DID (Sept 8/05) – $129.4M for more M1117 Guardian ASVs – from New Orleans Firm

• GizMag (July 15/05) – Armoured Security Vehicle (ASV) in demand in Iraq

• DID (July 14/05) – $105.9M for more Up-Armored Vehicles. $86.9 million is for M1117s.

• DID (June 29/05) – NY Times on Procurement Issues for Armored Vehicles to Iraq (Updated)

• AFV News (Jan 25/05) – Misc. M1117 AC in Iraq news

• Textron (Dec 22/04) – Textron Inc. won a U.S. Army contract worth up to $155 million to deliver 212 armored vehicles by April 2006. In order to meet the delivery deadline for the new M1117 Armored Security Vehicles, Textron said it plans to hire 200 more employees over the next year. Textron release.

• Texgtron Systems (Dec 10/04) – Textron Marine & Land (TM&L) of New Orleans, Louisiana announces 2 more contracts by the U.S. Army Tank-Automotive & Armaments Command (TACOM) to manufacture an additional 23 and 27 M117 Armored Security Vehicles (ASV), respectively. All 50 vehicles have been designated for use by the U.S. Army Military Police, and are potentially worth up to $36 million, subject to final contract terms. The newly contracted 50 vehicles will be delivered by January 2006, bringing the total number of U.S. Army ASVs fielded, in production, or ordered to 182.

• Textron Systems (July 29/04) – Textron Marine & Land announces a $50 million contract from the United States Project and Contracting Organization (PCO), on behalf of the Iraqi Minister of Interior, to manufacture 43 M1117 Armored Security Vehicles (ASVs) for the newly formed Iraqi Civil Intervention Force.

• Textron Systems (June 24/04) – Textron Marine & Land announces a $20 million contract from the U.S. Army Tank-Automotive & Armaments Command for 28 Armored Security Vehicles (ASVs) and associated technical support and engineering services.

• Defense Today (April 30/04) – Army Seeks More Textron Armored Cars For Iraq [PDF version]

• DefenseLINK (Feb 2/02) – Textron Marine & Land Systems in New Orleans, LA received an $11.4 milloin modification to a firm-fixed-price (production) and cost-plus-fixed-fee contract for 20 armored security vehicles (ASV). Work will be performed in New Orleans and is expected to be completed by June 2006. This is a sole source contract from the Tank Automotive Armaments Command in Warren, MI.