Oshkosh MRAP All-Terrain Vehicle (M-ATV)
The Oshkosh Mine Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) All-Terrain Vehicle (M-ATV) was developed by the Oshkosh Corporation in response to the Request for Proposals in December 2009. Oshkosh's M-ATV was a derivative of its Medium Tactical Vehicle Replacement family, in service at the time with the US Marine Corps. The USMC had initiated the requirement for the M-ATV vehicle in response to experiences with existing MRAP type vehicles in Afghanistan. The vehicle was also fitted with Oshkosh's proprietary TAK-4 indepedant suspension system. The armor suite for the vehicle was provided by Plasan North America. The armor was supplied in a modular form to Oshkosh, which assembled the final vehicles. The M-ATV could also be fitted with any of the various gunner protection kits available at the time.
After having been selected from among the initial submissions for the program in March 2009, Oshkosh's vehicle, known only as the M-ATV, was selected as the sole winner of the competitive award in June 2009. 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. The first 2 vehicles arrived at Bagram Airfield in Afghanistan on 1 October 2009.
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