Mine Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) All Terrain Vehicle (M-ATV) Program
Program History - 2009
In February 2009, BAE Systems announced it had delivered 2 different M-ATV (Mine Resistant Ambush Protected All-Terrain Vehicles) prototypes to the US Government for 2 months of testing and evaluation. Two different segments of the company's Land & Armaments operating group, produced a version for consideration. One version would be produced by the company's Global Tactical Systems subsidiary and the other from its US Combat Systems (USCS) subsidiary.
On 11 March 2009, Pentagon Press Secretary Geoff Morrell said at a press conference that the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle program, intended to develop the successor to the HMMWV family of vehicles was a longer term objective than the M-ATV. He went on to say that in light of the conflicts at the time in Iraq and Afghanistan, it had become clear that there would be a continuing requirement, however, for a heavier protective capability such as the MRAPs. These vehicles would need to lighter and more agile for off-road or in situations there was other needs for greater speed than existing MRAPs. The M-ATV program sought to fill this capability gap.
Also in March 2009, General Dynamics Land Systems announced that a joint venture between it and Force Protection, Inc., Force Dynamics, LLC, had been awarded a contract for 2 Cheetah light weight, high mobility Production Representative Vehicles (PRVs) as part of the US Army Tank-Automotive and Armaments Command (TACOM) Mine Resistant Ambush Protected All Terrain Vehicle (M-ATV) program. The value of the award was $1 million. The 2 vehicles were delivered on 23 February 2009 and met the government's initial requirements. The Cheetah vehicle, which had been in development since late 2005, previously successfully passed testing to MRAP I survivability levels and had undergone initial mobility and durability testing at the US Army's Nevada Automotive Test Center. Also selected were the Oshkosh Corporation and Navistar. These fufilled the original 5 contracts offered under the RFP.
In May 2009, BAE Systems announced that it had been awarded contracts to provide the military with 2 versions of a new armored all-terrain vehicle, as part of the M-ATV program. As stated in the RFP, the company would produce 3 more test vehicles of each version to undergo additional survivability and mobility testing. Force Dynamics was also awarded an indefinite-delivery, indefinite-quantity (IDIQ) contract in May 2009, for the M-ATV Cheetah. The IDIQ contract included an initial order for 3 vehicles for testing and evaluation and it enabled Force Dynamics to compete for future M-ATV vehicle orders.
On 30 June 2009, the Department of Defense announced that Oshkosh Corporation, of Oshkosh, Wisconsin had been awarded a $1,055,910,053 Firm Fixed Priced Delivery Order under Contract W56HZV-09-D-0111 by US Army Tank Automotive Command for the purchase of 2,244 MRAP All-Terrain Vehicles, Basic Issue Items, Field Service Representative Support, Equipment, Engineering, Authorized Stocking List Parts Packages and Prescribed Load List parts packages.
In July 2009, the Oshkosh Corp., of Oshkosh, Wisconsin, was awarded by US Army TACOM Life Cycle Management Command a $1,063,700,000 firm-fixed-price for 1,700 Mine Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) All Terrain Vehicles (M-ATV), Field Service Representative Support, and associated parts support packages to include Authorized Stockage Lists (ASL), Prescribed Load List (PLL), Reprocessing Spares, Battle Damage Repair parts (BDR) and Basic Issue Items (BII). Work was to be performed in McConnellsburg, Pennsylvania, with an estimated completion date of 31 July 2010. Soon thereafter, they were awarded awarded a $1,064,463,100 firm-fixed-priced delivery order #0002 modification 02 by US Army TACOM Life Cycle Management Command, under the previously awarded firm-fixed-price contract to exercise an option for 1,700 Mine Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) All Terrain Vehicles (M-ATVs), Field Service Representative Support, and associated parts support packages to include Authorized Stockage Lists (ASL), Prescribed Load Lists (PLL), Deprocessing Spares, Battle Damage Repair parts (BDR) and Basic Issue Items (BII). Vehicles and parts support packages would be fielded to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. Field Service Representatives would be providing support in Kuwait and Afghanistan. The order was for Marine Corps, Army, Special Operations Command and some test vehicles. Work would be performed in McConnellsburg, Pennsylvania. Work was expected to be completed by 31 July 2010. Contract funds in the amount of $15,000,000 would expire at the end of the fiscal year.
On 15 July 2009, Pentagon Press Secretary Geoff Morrell said at a press conference that simply shipping standard MRAPs to Afghanistan was not enough and that the Department of Defense was actively seeking to get the M-ATV vehicles into the field. Morrell said that requirement for M-ATVs was just over 5,000 vehicles and that that number was expected to grow.
On 29 September 2009, it was reported that the first M-ATVs were being deployed to Afghanistan, just 3 months after a delivery order was awarded. There the vehicles would support small-unit combat operations in highly restricted rural, mountainous and urban environments that included mounted patrols, reconnaissance, security, convoy protection, communications, command and control, and combat service support. The vehicle was intended to replace the up-armored Humvee in Afghanistan. The Defense Department had ordered more than 4,300 M-ATVs by September 2009, with another 1,400 planned.
On 2 November 2009, the US Army personnel had begun training on some 41 vehicles in Afghanistan. By that time the US military had accepted a total of 690 vehicles, with the total number of M-ATVs to be purchased increased to 6,500. The base cost at that time for the M-ATV was about $437,000 per vehicle, but fitted with the necessary equipment for deployment, each vehicle costs about $1.4 million, shipping to Afghanistan included.
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