Defense Dept. selects Oshkosh's M-ATV

OSHKOSH, Wis., July 1 (UPI) -- The U.S. Defense Department selected Oshkosh Corp. as the winning contractor for the new mine-resistant, ambush-protected, all-terrain vehicle program.

The Defense Department recently solicited the defense-contractor community to develop a new MRAP vehicle that is lightweight and more mobile to meet the challenging terrain conditions in Afghanistan.

In May defense officials announced the selection of BAE Systems, Oshkosh Defense, Navistar Defense and Force Dynamics to deliver MRAP all-terrain vehicle submissions for evaluation.

Tuesday the Defense Department announced the selection of Oshkosh to deliver 2,244 of its M-ATVs under a deal valued at $1.05 billion, following testing of the multiple vehicle variants.

"We are proud that Oshkosh was chosen to provide its M-ATV offering to the U.S. Armed Forces," Robert Bohn, Oshkosh chairman and chief executive officer, said in a statement.

"Our M-ATV design combines the crew protection warfighters have come to expect in MRAP vehicles with the extreme mobility and durability needed to negotiate Afghanistan's mountainous off-road terrain."