MRAP-ATV First Cut Made

In December the U.S. Department of Defense accelerated a plan to buy lighter, more maneuverable MRAP vehicles. The concept was to receive proposals in January and then reduce those down ultimately to two contenders who might win all or a part of the contract. The program received several proposals from General Dynamics, Force Protection, BAE, Oshkosh and Navistar. Bloomberg reports that the the DoD awarded a series of contracts to various proposals for further development. Only General Dynamics solo proposal was rejected. That company is still working with Force Protection on one concept and that was rewarded with a contract. All of the others said that they had passed into the next round. BAE was able to submit multiple proposals and they were both chosen. The MRAP-ATV will be able to traverse Afghanistan's rougher terrain as the original MRAPs purchased tended to be large, heavy vehicles that found it easier to use the roads in Iraq. Ultimately the U.S. could buy 10,000 of these vehicles so it is a major contract for the companies involved.

For more on MRAP vehicles see these other posts:

BAE Continues Trend of Strong Earnings
What Will Be The Next Big Defense Contracts?