NEW ORLEANS, June 3 (UPI) -- Textron Marine and Land Systems is building armored vehicles for the Afghanistan army under an award from the U.S. Army Contracting Command.
Under the contract, Textron will produce as many as 440 medium armored security vehicles.
The MASVs include nine vehicle configurations designed specifically for ANA roles and missions and are derived from the combat-proven M1117 Armored Security Vehicle and ASV Armored Personnel Carrier, the company said.
In addition to ASV and APC configurations, other mission variants include: command-and-control, ambulance, engineering, maintenance, mortar and reconnaissance vehicles.
The vehicles will be contracted through the U.S. Army Foreign Military Sales process but funded through Afghan Security Forces Funds.
The contract features a one-year performance baseline with two option years.
The one-year baseline contract, with a potential value of $257 million, authorizes initial funding of $125.9 million to begin work leading to the planned delivery of 240 MASVs and associated support equipment, spare parts, field service representatives, training and training aids.
Vehicle production will be performed at Textron Marine and Land Systems' facilities in the New Orleans area, with an estimated completion date of June 2012.
The options to produce up to as many as 200 vehicles -- plus the two option years for training and logistics support -- carries a potential value of $286 million.
Textron said that while the additional vehicles, if ordered, would have an estimated completion date of December 2012, training and logistics support would continue through the first quarter of 2014.
"The ASV continues to play a key role in the U.S. Army combat vehicle fleet around the world with its outstanding readiness rate and versatile mission roles," said Lt. Col. Mark Morano, product manager, Armored Security Vehicle, U. S. Army Program Executive Office, Combat Support and Combat Service Support. "The protection levels and extreme mobility offer the warfighter and commander a great degree of confidence in safety and mission success."
All ANA vehicles will be configured with Enhanced Survivability capability, which improves blast protection to mine-resistant, ambush-protected levels. The new ES-equipped vehicles will continue to possess the M1117 ASV's original, all-important V-shaped hull design, in addition to innovative protection design features that enable it to meet MRAP blast protection standards.
