Oshkosh Filed A Protest Against An US Army AM General Deal | US Increases Military Assistance To Somalia | India Approved HTT-40 Acquisition

Americas

Textron Aviation has delivered a Cessna Grand Caravan EX utility aircraft to the Belize Defense Force as part of a $7.84-million US Army foreign military sale. The handover was conducted at the Williamson Hangar Complex in Ladyville. The delivery includes spare parts, training support, and on-site maintenance services. The aircraft will be flown for maritime patrol and related missions under the Belize Ministry of National Defense and Border Security.

Oshkosh Defense has filed a protest against the US Army award of an $8.6-billion Joint Light Tactical Vehicle (JLTV) contract to AM General. The Wisconsin-based company, which initially received the deal in 2015, recently lost a recompute deal to deliver 20,000 JLTVs to the US Army. The service exercised the option to open bidding again in an attempt to find other defense firms that could build the product at a reduced cost.

Middle East & Africa

The United States is increasing its military assistance to Somalia as the country sees success in battling what the US calls “the largest and most deadly al-Qaida network in the world.” Sixty-one tons of weapons and ammunition arrived Tuesday in Mogadishu, the US said in a statement of support for a historic Somalia-led military offensive against al-Shabab extremists that has recaptured dozens of communities since August.

Europe

Poland will procure 1,400 Borsuk infantry fighting vehicles (IFVs) and specialised variants from a consortium of Polska Grupa Zbrojeniowa companies led by Huta Stalowa Wola (HSW), the Polish Ministry of National Defence (MND) and the Armaments Agency (AA) announced on their websites on February 28. Polish Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Defence Mariusz B?aszczak approved a framework agreement between the AA and the consortium at the HSW headquarters on 28 February for the delivery of the 1,400 vehicles.

Asia-Pacific

On March 5, the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force (JGSDF) moved approximately 150 vehicles, including launchers for surface-to-ship and surface-to-air guided missiles, to its new base on Ishigaki Island in Okinawa Prefecture, news media in Japan reported. This move was met with protests by around 30 local citizens who are against the base. Riot police belonging to the Okinawa prefectural police were deployed to guard the area. Previously, the JGSDF had transported vehicles by civilian cargo ships to the port of Ishigaki, where they had been kept since late last month.

The Indian government has approved the acquisition of 70 Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) HTT-40 basic trainer aircraft for the Indian Air Force (IAF). In an announcement on March 1, the government said that the procurement has a value of $827.78 million. HAL is required to supply the aircraft over a six-year period. The acquisition also includes associated equipment and training aids such as simulators.

Today’s Video

WATCH: Meet the JLTV: America’s $333K Badass Military Vehicle

JLTV: Oshkosh Wins, Lockheed Protests

In an age of non-linear warfare, where front lines are nebulous at best and non-existent at worst, one of the biggest casualties is… the concept of unprotected rear echelon vehicles, designed with the idea that they’d never see serious combat. That imperative is being driven home on 2 fronts. One front is operational. The other front is buying trends.

These trends, and their design imperatives, found their way into the USA’s Joint Light Tactical Vehicle (JLTV) program, which aims to replace many of the US military’s 120,000 or so Humvees. The US military’s goal is a 7-10 ton vehicle that’s lighter than its MRAPs and easier to transport aboard ship, while offering substantially better protection ad durability than existing up-armored Humvees. They’d also like a vehicle that can address front-line issues like power generation, in order to recharge all of the batteries troops require for electronic gadgets like night sights, GPS devices, etc.

DID’s FOCUS articles offer in-depth, updated looks at significant military programs of record. JLTV certainly qualifies, and recent budget planning endorsements have solidifed a future that was looking shaky. Now, can the Army’s program deliver?