USA Orders 369 More M1117 ASVs
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Textron’s M1117 Guardian Armored Security Vehicle (ASV) was recently removed from the MRAP program after the vehicle reportedly failed some of the tests at Aberdeen. The stretched M1117 ICV(Infantry Carrier Vehicle) was one of the lightest vehicles in the competition, and its original 3-man, 12,500 GVW(Gross Vehicle Weight, total loaded capacity) version remains popular with military police (M1117 ASV) and artillery spotting teams (M1200 Armored Knight). They provide better mine and ballistics protection than the Hummer, coupled 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. Once upon a time we would have simply called vehicles like this “armored cars,” but perhaps that’s too simple these days.
Now Textron Marine & Land has announced a $255.5 million contract modification to its firm-fixed-price, sole source contract initiated on May 9, 2005 with the U.S. Army’s Tank-Automotive & Armaments Command (TACOM) in Warren, MI. Textron will build an additional 369 M1117 ASVs (W56HZV-05-C-0470). With this award, the total number of ASVs produced or under contract is now at 1,729 vehicles, with firm production 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.
