May 5, 2009
Attention opaque and transparent armor aficionados: U.S. Army officials last week awarded contracts to four armored vehicle manufacturers to provide test and evaluation versions of a lighter, more-nimble version of its Mine Resistant Ambush Protected vehicle. The MRAP All Terrain Vehicle is mainly aimed for use in Afghanistan.
The Army is giving contracts for M-ATV test/evaluation vehicles are going to BAE Systems, Oshkosh Corp., Navistar International and Force Dynamics LLC, a joint venture of Force Protection and General Dynamics Land Systems. The Army plans to eventually award a winner-take-all contract based on an estimated order that could range from 2,000 to 10,000 M-ATVs.
Here is an Oshkosh Corp video on their vehicle: